CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Taxation

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the introduction of a system of taxation to increase the competitiveness of the London art sales market.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 3 November 2011
	The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), regularly meets the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), to discuss cross-departmental issues, including the effect of tax measures on the cultural sector.

Broadband: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how he proposes that the recently announced £56.9 million for supporting the broadband network in Wales will be allocated.

Edward Vaizey: The Welsh Government will determine where to allocate the £56.9 million allocation for Wales as part of their current procurement to source suppliers to upgrade infrastructure in Wales. Broadband Delivery UK is supporting the Welsh Government to deliver the UK's broadband objectives in Wales; including how and where funding is provided.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Carbon Emissions

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish her plans to introduce mandatory carbon reporting for companies.

James Paice: I refer the hon. Member for Wakefield to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Dundee West (Jim McGovern) on 6 September 2011, Official Report, column 374W.

Hunting: Wild Boar

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to (a) introduce a closed season for the hunting of wild boar, (b) raise the minimum age of wild boar that can be culled to five months old, (c) introduce a legal minimum requirement for firearms in shooting wild boar and (d) reconsider the classification of wild boar as feral.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA considers the wild boar living free in parts of England to be feral as they have all come from, or are descended from, farm stock. We have no plans to change the legal protection for feral wild boar in England. With regard to control of wild boar, best practice guides on shooting feral wild boar are available from the Deer Initiative.

Reservoirs: Safety

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish the revised guidance notes for reservoir safety pursuant to the Reservoirs Act 1975 and 1996 guidance; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: There are two key guidance documents for reservoirs engineers. The first is ‘A guide to the Reservoirs Act 1975’, published by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in 2000 with the support of the then Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, which is a guide to understanding the intent of the Act and approaches to managing reservoirs in compliance with the Act. The second is ‘Floods and Reservoir Safety, 3rd Edition’, published by the ICE in 1996. This provides technical guidance for reservoir engineers particularly with respect to their safety under flood loading.
	A review of these guidance documents has been initiated and to that end the President of the ICE has been asked to lead a review of these documents and to include the Environment Agency on the review panel. The review will be carried out with the support of DEFRA. The ICE has agreed to this in principle.
	The review of ‘A guide to the Reservoirs Act 1975’ will commence with an initial meeting on 17 November to discuss the work programme. The proposal is that the reviewed guidance on the amended legislation would be published by DEFRA in parallel with the making of the various legal instruments (Phase 1 is due to begin in October 2012).
	The reviewed technical guidance should be based on currently available knowledge and be published by the ICE to a programme, and although the programme has yet to be agreed, completion is expected within two years. However, if the timescale of the introduction of the legal instruments slipped this publication would slip.
	The review of ‘Floods and Reservoir Safety’ will be taking place over a longer timescale and no meetings have yet been scheduled.

Water Abstraction

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many rivers her Department assesses as at high risk of over-abstraction.

Richard Benyon: Under the water framework directive we classify our aquatic environment as water bodies: this includes rivers, estuaries, lakes and groundwaters etc. There are over 8,000 water bodies in England and Wales, of which there are over 5,800 river water bodies. Currently fewer than 300 of these are considered to be at high risk from abstraction pressures.
	However, as part of the implementation of the first round of River Basin Management Plans, the Environment Agency is undertaking investigations to confirm this assessment. Once these investigations are completed appropriate action will be planned to take place during the remainder of the first cycle or subsequent river basin planning cycles to tackle the issue, if appropriate.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Growing Places Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria his Department used to determine the indicative allocations of funding to local enterprise partnerships from the Government's Growing Places Fund.

Grant Shapps: We will be allocating funding to qualifying bodies which apply for the fund on a consistent basis, through a formulaic approach. The formula is based on two components: population and employed earnings. This is a relatively simple formula that accounts for the size of the local enterprise partnership, and provides a good proxy for economic activity. By combining the indicators we are able to provide a smoother distribution than using either of them independently.

Growing Places Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what financial contribution his Department plans to make to the Growing Places Fund.

Grant Shapps: The £500 million Growing Places Fund comprises £125 million from the Department for Communities and Local Government, £125 million from the Department for Transport and £250 million from HM Treasury.

Growing Places Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which bodies will be responsible for submitting final bids for funding from the Growing Places Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: Local enterprise partnerships have been asked to apply to the Growing Places Fund. The Chair of the local enterprise partnership is asked to sign off the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, which will set out the following:
	their commitment to using the Growing Places Fund to generate economic activity in the short term by addressing immediate infrastructure and site constraints which promote the delivery of jobs and housing;
	they have appropriate governance arrangements in place which will secure value for money in the use of the Fund; and
	they have appropriate arrangements in place to deliver transparency in the use of the fund.
	The Pre-Qualification Questionnaire must be returned to the Department for Communities and Local Government by 20 December 2011.

Housing

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to monitor housing needs in relation to the trends in population to 2050 projected by the Office for National Statistics.

Andrew Stunell: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing Central and Acton (Angie Bray) on 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 22W.

Local Government: Eggs

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has issued guidelines to local authorities on their buying criteria to ensure eggs produced in conventional cages should not be used in any form.

James Paice: I have been asked to reply.
	The greater proportion of food procured by local authorities is for schools. DEFRA is working with the Department for Education, the School Food Trust and the major local authority buying organisations, in particular those in the PRO 5 consortium, and others to embed the Government Buying Standards (GBS), as they are developed, into national procurement frameworks for food and catering services.
	Mandatory GBS criteria currently bans the use of fresh (in-shell) eggs from conventional cage systems. If a cage system is used they should be enriched cages. In light of the forthcoming EU ban on conventional cages, we intend to extend this mandatory criteria to cover all liquid and powdered egg products, which are currently in voluntary best practice criteria.
	The Government believe that their role is to set a credible and workable example for the wider public sector to follow, and it is this that the GBS is designed to deliver. All public bodies have a different set of requirements and the local people most closely connected with them, staff, patients, governors, will have different priorities, making them best placed to decide how to achieve the objectives we are aiming for.

Social Rented Housing: Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the amount of land for which planning permission for housing development has been granted in each local authority area in England.

Andrew Stunell: The Department has not estimated the amount of land that is available with planning permission for housing development. The Department collects summary statistics on planning applications but these do not include information on land areas.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Bell Pottinger Group

John Mann: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether (a) Ministers, (b) officials in the Government Equalities Office and (c) her political advisers have met representatives of (i) Bell Pottinger Group or (ii) each of its subsidiaries in the last five years; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what was discussed.

Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).

Hate Crime

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps she is taking to tackle hate crime.

Lynne Featherstone: Tackling hate crime is an issue the Government take very seriously, and we are committed to doing more to support and protect victims. We are meeting the coalition commitment to improve the recording of such crimes and working with the police and other partners to encourage more victims to come forward. We are also working with the Government's Independent Advisory Group to develop an action plan on tackling all forms of hate crime.

Ministers: Equality

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether she has a policy on the proportion of Ministers who are (a) women and (b) state educated.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government are committed to achieving a fairer society in which every individual has the opportunity to progress as far as their talents will take them, not one in which people's chances are driven by where they come from, where they went to school or who their parents are. This includes making the very best use of diverse talent in political life. Our political institutions need a reasonable balance of people with different skills and experiences so that the decisions that are made truly represent the electorate. However, we do not believe that a policy defining the proportion of women or state school educated MPs and Peers who hold ministerial positions is the best way of achieving this.
	The Equality Act 2010 includes positive action provisions that relate to the work of political parties. This includes extending the period that political parties can use women-only electoral shortlists until 2030. These provisions will also allow political parties to adopt broader shadowing and mentoring opportunities for women which are aimed at increasing their opportunities to enter political life.

PRIME MINISTER

Euro Summit

William Cash: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to annex one of the joint statement on resolving the debt crisis, issued following the Euro summit of 26 October 2011, whether he participated in the deliberations on the proposed 10 means to improve the governance of the Euro area and on the creation of a Euro summit; and whether his consent was (a) sought and (b) given in each case.

David Cameron: On 26 October the European Council met before the summit of Euro members to discuss the crisis in the eurozone. We saw and discussed a draft of the eurozone declaration which was released early the next day. The final version of the eurozone statement was agreed by eurozone countries.

Euro Summit

William Cash: To ask the Prime Minister whether he plans to participate in the negotiations on (a) improving fiscal discipline and economic union in the Euro area and (b) treaty changes as announced in the Euro summit statement issued following the summit on 26 October 2011.

David Cameron: I will continue to attend European Council meetings where these issues will be discussed. No treaty changes can be made without unanimous agreement of the European Council.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Bell Pottinger Group

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) political advisers in his Department have met representatives of (i) Bell Pottinger Group or (ii) each of its subsidiaries in the last five years; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what was discussed.

Owen Paterson: In respect of parts (a) and (b) I refer the hon. Member to the quarterly publication of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external organisations, under the previous administration this was published as Ministers' meetings with outside interest groups. Details can be obtained on the Northern Ireland Office's departmental website.
	My special adviser was a Director of Bell Pottinger Public Affairs, part of the Bell Pottinger Group, from March 2007 to December 2009. Since then he has had no formal meetings with representatives of the Bell Pottinger Group though he occasionally meets former colleagues in a social capacity. Any hospitality received is published quarterly and can be obtained on the Northern Ireland Office's departmental website.
	The remaining information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Charities

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what grants his Department made to charitable organisations in each of the last five years.

Owen Paterson: The Department as it is now configured is not able to provide details of grants made to charitable organisations prior to the completion of devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	Since 12 April 2010, my Department has provided grants of £23,000 per annum for the Army Benevolent Fund and £62,000 per annum for the UDR Benevolent Fund.
	In addition, contributions of £15,000 in 2010-11 and £10,000 in £2011-12 were paid jointly to Co-operation Ireland and Intercomm Belfast as a contribution towards the costs of the delivery of their Ambassadors for Change Programme.

WALES

Departmental Parliamentary Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether draft answers to parliamentary questions prepared by officials in her Department are cleared by special advisers (a) before and (b) after the relevant Minister.

David Jones: Answers to parliamentary questions are drafted by officials and the Wales Office special adviser contributes to draft answers. Answers to parliamentary questions remain the responsibility of Ministers who always give the final clearance.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by her Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010.

David Jones: Since May 2010, the Wales Office has received 20 written questions for answer on a named day, all of which were answered on the named day.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by her Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.

David Jones: Since May 2010, the Wales Office has received eight questions for ordinary written answer which have remained unanswered for a period of two months.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

TRANSPORT

Biofuels: EU Law

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  when she plans to publish guidelines on the biofuel carbon sustainability criteria in respect of the EU Renewable Energy Directive;
	(2)  how long she has estimated it will take industry to put in place the appropriate certification in its supply chain to implement Government guidelines on biofuel carbon sustainability as part of the implementation of the EU Renewable Energy Directive;
	(3)  whether she plans to extend her deadline for industry to meet the EU Renewable Energy Directive until after she has published the compliance criteria for biofuel carbon sustainability;
	(4)  for how long she plans to run her Department's consultation on the guidelines for the biofuel carbon sustainability criteria;
	(5)  what steps her Department is taking to implement those parts of the EU Renewable Energy Directive for which she is responsible.

Norman Baker: A consultation on draft Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) guidance for fuel suppliers and verifiers covering biofuel carbon sustainability reporting was published on 7 November and will close on 4 December. It is proposed to publish the final guidance as soon as possible after the targeted consultation closes. The consultation can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2011-31
	The Department will be working closely with industry over the coming months to provide training and advice on the changes required by amendments to the RTFO scheme to implement the Renewable Energy Directive (RED).
	We also published our response to the consultation on implementing the transport elements of the RED on 7 November. The response can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2011-05
	I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 8WS, which explains that subject to the parliamentary process we hope to implement the RED in December 2011. This would be achieved through amending the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations Order 2007. I have no intention of delaying transposition and implementation.
	The RED sets mandatory sustainability criteria for biofuels. The RED was published in 2009. The introduction of mandatory biofuel sustainability criteria was discussed between summer 2009 and spring 2010 at regular departmental stakeholder advisory group meetings, which included industry representatives. Those discussions and other meetings with various stakeholders helped formulate proposals which were the subject of a full public consultation between March and June this year.
	The current RTFO has been in place since 2008, with voluntary reporting on carbon and sustainability. The RTFO administrator has worked closely with transport fuel suppliers as we prepare for the introduction of mandatory sustainability criteria including adapting the current RTFO Carbon and Sustainability reporting system and guidance to a “RED-Ready” standard in April 2011. Those companies that have taken the opportunity to report on a voluntary basis and to establish sustainable biofuel supply chains will be well placed to meet the requirements of an amended RTFO.

Driving: Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance her Department plans to issue on the interpretation of the term severe hypoglycaemic event for the purposes of EU Directive 2009/112/EC and 2009/113/EC and reporting requirements under the DVLA driver licensing rules; whether this term will include severe hypoglycaemic events which occur during sleeping hours; whether the term will be interpreted to refer only to events occurring during waking hours in accordance with section 10.4 of the Annex to Directive 2009/112/EC; and what assessment she has made of the merits of clarifying the interpretation of the definition proposed for severe hypoglycaemia as being where the help of another person is required to specify that other persons' help is necessary for the treatment of hypoglycaemia. [R]

Michael Penning: Guidance on what constitutes both severe and recurrent hypoglycaemia is already available on the DVLA website and is also contained in the DVLA booklet “At a Glance Guide to the current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive”. That is available to all health care professionals and can be downloaded from the DVLA's website. This guidance confirms that “Severe hypoglycaemia” means that the assistance of another person is necessary to treat the episode of hypoglycaemia.
	The directive does not differentiate between hypoglycaemic attacks which occur whilst the driver is asleep or awake for group 1 (car and motorcycle) licensing. Section 10.4 of the annex says that a group 2 (bus or lorry) driver must be reassessed if any severe hypoglycaemic event occurs during waking hours. We have approached the EU to confirm the directive's intention for severe hypoglycaemia.

Metals: Theft

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of the effects on rail and road travel of incidents caused by metal theft; and whether she has made any estimate of the costs of such incidents.

Norman Baker: holding answer 7 November 2011
	Some estimates of the costs of such incidents are available and are presented as follows:
	In 2010-11, Network Rail incurred costs of £16.5 million in repairing damage from cable theft and in compensating operators for the delays arising from thefts. This represented an increase from £14.0 million in 2009-10 and £12.3 million in 2008-09. In addition to the direct costs on Network Rail, the Department has estimated that there was an economic cost to passengers and freight users of some £10 million during 2010-11.
	There has also been significant number of cases of metal theft on the Highways Agency and local road networks but cost estimates of the effects are not available.

Piracy

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with Ministers in the Home Department on placing armed guards on UK flagged ships to guard against piracy; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: There have been a number of discussions between my Department, the Home Office, and other Government Departments regarding the change in UK policy on the use of armed guards. This issue was discussed at meetings of the National Security Council. The discussions have covered complex legal and operational issues. The Prime Minister announced the change on 30 October and my Department is finalising the national guidance to ship owners which will be published later this month. A formal written ministerial statement will be placed before the House at this time.

Roads: Accidents

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect of reducing the frequency of MOT tests on the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads.

Michael Penning: In April 2011 the Department for Transport published the results of independent research commissioned to examine how vehicle defects affect accident rates, and to consider the potential road safety impact of changing the frequency of the MOT.
	Copies of the publication have been placed on the Library of the House.

Traffic Lights: Safety

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has any plans to permit the installation of trixi traffic light safety mirrors by local authorities without the requirement to seek express permission from her.

Norman Baker: Cycle safety mirrors (“trixi mirrors”) must currently be authorised by the Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), because they are not prescribed within the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 (TSRGD).
	Trixi mirrors were authorised initially at certain sites as part of a trial on Transport for London Cycle Superhighway. To further assist monitoring of their effectiveness, the authorisation is being applied across the whole Cycle Superhighway Network.
	The Department intends to update TSRGD following the publication in October of the traffic signs policy review 'Signing the Way':
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/signing-the-way
	Based on the outcome of the current trials, we will consider the suggestion my hon. Friend makes regarding trixi mirrors as part of this update, which is expected to conclude in 2014.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of black carbon on climate change; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: Research reported in the International Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report suggests a small, but significant, warming effect in the range of +0.09W/m(2) to +0.59W/m(2) ( )since 1750 from black carbon emitted into the atmosphere by fossil fuel, biofuel and biomass burning. There is also a small warming effect due to the deposition of black carbon on surface snow and ice, which the IPCC estimated to be about +0.1 W/m(2). By comparison, the total warming effect from long-lived greenhouse gases is estimated by the IPCC to be +2.64W/m(2).
	Analysis by the Met Office Hadley Centre, funded by DECC, suggests black carbon aerosol emissions have potentially the second largest warming influence on climate, after greenhouse gases.

Energy: British Overseas Territories

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what measures to promote (a) renewable energy and (b) energy efficiency he plans to include in his January 2012 submission on his Department's priorities for providing support to British Overseas Territories.

Gregory Barker: The Department is currently reviewing what support it can offer to our Overseas Territories and will be discussing this further during the Overseas Territories Consultative Council meeting at the end of November. DFID and the FCO are in the process commissioning work which will look at opportunities for addressing climate change by promoting low carbon climate resilient development in UK Overseas Territories which once completed next year will further inform where support can best be targeted.

Energy: Prices

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of households which will enter fuel poverty should average annual energy bills increase by (a) £100, (b) £200, (c) £300, (d) £400 and (e) £500.

Gregory Barker: No official estimates have been made of the impact on fuel poverty of increasing energy bills by the amounts specified. The latest published estimates show that there were around 4 million fuel poor households in England in 2009. DECC also publish fuel poverty projections for the following two years only. These indicate that the number of fuel poor households in England is likely to stay at around 4 million in 2010 before rising slightly to 4.1 million in 2011 as the recent energy price changes begin to impact on households.

Fuel Poverty

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from what date he expects that no person in the UK will be living in fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: The coalition Government are committed to doing all that is reasonably practicable to end fuel poverty in England by 2016 and to helping people, especially low income vulnerable households, heat their homes more affordably.

Fuel Poverty: Greater London

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how many households were living in fuel poverty in London in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how many households were living in fuel poverty in each London borough in each year since 2000.

Gregory Barker: The following table shows the number of fuel poor households in the English region of London in each year of the period for which data are available:
	
		
			  Number of households in fuel poverty in London (thousand) Percentage of households in fuel poverty 
			 2003 108 3.6 
			 2004 119 3.9 
			 2005 120 3.9 
			 2006 254 8.3 
			 2007 309 10.0 
			 2008 328 10.8 
			 2009 402 13.3 
		
	
	Further information can be found on this webpage:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/fuelpov_stats/fuelpov_stats.aspx
	DECC have published sub-regional fuel poverty levels for 2006 and 2008 and the data are shown for local authorities in the English Region of London in the following table:
	
		
			 London borough Households in fuel poverty 2006 Households in fuel poverty 2008 
			 City of London 218 332 
			 Barking and Dagenham 5,362 8,089 
			 Barnet 10,001 12,912 
			 Bexley 8,074 8,193 
			 Brent 10,302 12,890 
			 Bromley 9,939 11,182 
			 Camden 7,451 11,007 
			 Croydon 10,945 13,062 
			 Ealing 10,397 11,955 
			 Enfield 10,069 12,608 
			 Greenwich 7,778 10,901 
			 Hackney 6,891 12,129 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 6,287 8,691 
			 Haringey 7,540 11,964 
			 Harrow 7,386 7,914 
			 Havering 7,971 9,205 
			 Hillingdon 8,184 8,526 
			 Hounslow 6,927 7,972 
			 Islington 6,945 11,007 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 9,525 9,179 
			 Kingston upon Thames 4,759 5,385 
			 Lambeth 8,385 13,704 
			 Lewisham 8,153 11,649 
			 Merton 5,213 7,153 
			 Newham 9,054 13,009 
			 Redbridge 8,915 10,099 
			 Richmond upon Thames 5,288 6,487 
			 Southwark 7,840 12,309 
			 Sutton 5,637 6,621 
			 Tower Hamlets 5,126 9,928 
			 Waltham Forest 8,005 10,605 
			 Wandsworth 7,902 10,783 
			 Westminster 11,780 10,757

Fuel Poverty: Pensioners

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people eligible for the state pension were living in fuel poverty in each of the last five years.

Gregory Barker: The following table shows the number of fuel poor households in England containing someone aged 60 or over in each of the years 2005 to 2009 (the latest year for which this information is currently available).
	
		
			  Number of f  uel poor households containing someone aged 60 or over in England (Thousand) 
			 2005 794 
			 2006 1,285 
			 2007 1,462 
			 2008 1,720 
			 2009 2,044 
		
	
	Fuel poverty is measured in households rather than individuals.

Green Deal Scheme

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emission reductions which will be attributable to the Green Deal; and what contribution he expects this to make to meeting the UK's climate change targets.

Gregory Barker: An impact assessment soon to be published alongside our consultation proposals for Green Deal will include estimates of the emissions reductions attributable to the policy.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on measures to compensate those who have ordered a solar photovoltaic installation but cannot meet the deadlines set out in phase 1 of the comprehensive review of feed-in tariffs.

Gregory Barker: The consultation explains that the six-week period from publication date to 12 December (the reference date) will allow many prospective generators, particularly householders, who have made a financial, commitment to installing PV (for example, paying a deposit) to complete their installations and receive the current tariffs.
	We recognise though that some prospective FITs generators who have incurred or committed expenditure may not be able to complete their installations and submit their applications for FITs before the proposed reference date. In forming the proposal, we have taken into account the possibility of hardship to persons in this situation. However, on balance, we consider that the proposed approach is reasonable, given a number of factors. These include the urgency of the concerns about the impact on the scheme's budget of continuing high levels of uptake at the current tariffs, including any rush of new installations triggered by the consultation. In addition, the proposed new tariffs are designed to provide a reasonable rate of return in line with those intended when the scheme was first introduced. The FITs scheme was never intended to provide windfall profits, paid for by energy consumers in general, and in the current climate we regard the returns expected for FIT generators under the proposed new tariffs to be reasonable. The Government do not intend to provide compensation for those who miss the deadline.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Adam Werritty

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his (a) private office and (b) special advisers have received email communications from Mr Adam Werritty since May 2010.

William Hague: No emails have been received by special advisers. One email was received by the Private Office which referred to a company that was already in touch with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and no further action was taken as a result.

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of (a) men and (b) women from his Department will attend the Bonn Conference in December; and what the level of seniority is of attendees in each category.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), will lead the UK delegation to the Bonn Conference in December. The full composition of the delegation has yet to be finalised, but we are working on a role for the Government's International Violence Against Women Champion at the Conference.

Departmental Legal Opinion

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of (a) internal and (b) external legal advice commissioned by his Department in the first six months of 2011.

David Lidington: As regards internal legal advice, the bulk of this is done by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Legal Advisers who are permanent members of the diplomatic service. It is not possible to quantify a precise figure for this aspect of the costs of internal legal advice. However, in addition, in relation to litigation and some other matters FCO instructs the Treasury Solicitor's Department. Fees paid to the Treasury Solicitor's Department for their professional fees in the first six months of 2011 totalled £373,740.
	As regards external legal advice from external counsel, in litigation matters in the UK the FCO has expended £514,408 in Counsel's fees in the first six months of 2011. In relation to external legal advice in non-contentious matters (e.g. property and contractual matters) the FCO has paid a further £551,224 in the first six months of 2011.
	We do not hold a central record of expenditure on advice on other matters, including international litigation and legal advice obtained locally by our network of diplomatic posts. This information cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by his Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.

David Lidington: No ordinary written answer, or written answer on a named day, has remained unanswered for a period of two months, that is, 60 sitting days.

Ethnic Groups: Treaties

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government plans to ratify International Labour Organisation Convention 169 on the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The Government are fully committed to promoting and protecting human rights for all individuals, including indigenous people, without discrimination on any grounds. We continue to work overseas and through the UN to improve the situation of indigenous people around the world.
	International Labour Organisation Convention 169 sets out a framework for how governments should act with regard to indigenous and tribal people within their own territories. To date the UK has not ratified the convention as we do not consider that the UK or its overseas territories have any indigenous people to whom it would apply. We are also of the view that the convention does not apply extra-territorially. For these reasons, we would not be able to give effect to the convention. However, I have asked officials to look again in detail at our position to reassure ourselves that it is the right one.

Sudan

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2011, Official Report, column 663W, on IRG, what the engagements were of the Under-Secretary of State during his visit to Sudan in July 2010.

Henry Bellingham: During my visit to Sudan from 25-27 July 2011, I met a number of Ministers from the Government of Sudan, some of whom are now in the Government of South Sudan. I also met senior Sudanese business people, INGO groups and staff serving in the British embassy and Department for International Development office in Khartoum. I also visited a Department for International Development funded centre for women's vocational training.

Sudan

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2011, Official Report, column 663W, on IRG, what travel advice his Department issued to UK citizens travelling to Sudan in July 2010.

Henry Bellingham: We regularly update our travel advice to reflect the situation in Sudan and, now, South Sudan. In July 2010 we advised against all travel to the Red Sea State border with Eritrea; within 40 km of South Sudan's borders; and Darfur, including Nyala but excluding El Geneina and El Fasher. We also advised against all but essential travel to El Geneina and El Fasher in Darfur; Abyei in Southern Kordofan; all parts of south Sudan (including Juba); and areas west of the towns of an-Nahud and al-Fula in North Kordofan up to the Darfur border. The advice also made other recommendations, much as it does today, on the political, security, crime and travel situations, as well as other general topics. It was posted on the FCO travel advice website as is usual.

Sudan

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2011, Official Report, column 663W, on IRG, what the purpose was of the visit to Sudan by the Under-Secretary of State in July 2010.

Henry Bellingham: I visited Khartoum and Juba in July 2010 as part of the UK Government's leading role in supporting preparations for the South Sudan secession referendum that took place in January 2011. During this visit I also discussed trade and investment issues, Darfur and future peace and prosperity for the Sudanese people.

Sudan

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2011, Official Report, column 663W, on IRG, what the nature was of the Under-Secretary of State's conversation with Stephen Crouch when they met in Sudan in July 2010.

Henry Bellingham: I was approached by Mr Crouch at Juba airport where he briefly set out the commercial activity he was undertaking in South Sudan. This encounter was not pre-arranged and did not lead to or generate any formal follow up.

Sudan

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2011, Official Report, column 663W, on IRG, what the name is of each person who travelled with the Under-Secretary of State on his visit to Sudan in July 2010.

Henry Bellingham: On my visit to Sudan in July 2010 I was accompanied from London by my Private Secretary at the time, my Press Officer at the time and the UK Special Representative for Sudan, Michael Ryder. I was also accompanied by the ambassador to Sudan, Nick Kay and other officials from the British embassy while in Sudan.

DEFENCE

Defence Equipment

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Blaydon of 21 October 2011, Official Report, column 1167W, on defence equipment, to which destinations in north west Europe deliveries by special courier were made in 2010-11.

Peter Luff: None. In 2010-11 all high priority requests for equipment to north-west Europe were undertaken using scheduled transport routes.
	The answer I gave on 21 October 2011, Official Report, column 1167W, to the hon. Member for Blaydon (Mr Anderson) contained factual errors. It should have said:
	An enabling arrangement is in place with City Sprint for the delivery of urgently required equipment such as aircraft components and medical stores anywhere in the UK. In 2010-11, 13,995 deliveries were tasked under this arrangement. These predominantly related to ongoing operations.

Defence Equipment: Gibraltar

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the monetary value was of each of the surplus vessels and items of equipment that have been sold by tender in Gibraltar;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2011, Official Report, columns 258-59W, on Defence equipment: Gibraltar, what the reserve price is of the surplus vessels and equipment for sale by tender in Gibraltar.

Peter Luff: The process to sell surplus vessels and equipment in Gibraltar is still ongoing. The reserve price will be determined during the evaluation process.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters have been damaged by brownout in the latest period for which figures are available.

Peter Luff: No helicopters have been damaged specifically by brownout, however brownout can cause pilots to lose their visual references, which may result in air safety incidents, leading to damage being caused.
	The number of reported incidents (of varying degrees of damage) that may be attributable to brownout factors for each year since April 2009 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Incidents and repair category 
			  Category   0 Category  1 Category   2 Category   3 Category   4 Total 
			 2009 0 2 1 0 2 5 
			 2010 8 3 0 1 2 14 
			 2011 0 4 0 0 0 4 
			 Total 8 9 1 1 4 23 
		
	
	Repair categories are defined as follows:
	0 = No notable damage.
	1 = The aircraft is repairable within the aircraft custodian's capabilities.
	2 = The aircraft is repairable within a forward maintenance organisation capabilities.
	3 = The aircraft is repairable on site but the work is considered to be beyond their forward maintenance organisation capability.
	4 = The aircraft is repairable but it is considered to need special facilities or equipment not available on site.
	Some of the incidents are under investigation through service inquiries, and the final repair category may change in these cases.

Navy

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Wyre Forest of 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 405W, on the Navy, whether any ships were reckoned under the heading Other equipment (Royal Navy) given in the answer; and if so, what the name is of each ship disposed of.

Peter Luff: The assets listed under the heading “Other Equipment” included equipment declared surplus from ships which remain in service.
	The Royal Navy ships declared surplus in the financial year ending 31 March 2011 and included under the heading “Other Equipment (Royal Navy)” are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Date of decision Date decommissioned 
			 HMS Ark Royal October 2010 March 2011 
			 HMS Cambletown October 2010 April 2011 
			 HMS Cornwall October 2010 April 2011 
			 HMS Cumberland October 2010 April 2011 
			 HMS Chatham October 2010 January 2011 
			 HMS Exeter Early 2007 May 2009 
			 HMS Invincible Pre 2007 September 2010 
			 HMS Nottingham Early 2008 February 2010 
			 HMS Roebuck January 2010 January 2010 
			 HMS Southampton Early 2008 February 2009 
		
	
	Disposal action is not yet complete for all the vessels listed.
	In addition to those ships listed above, HMS Sceptre, HMS Superb, HMS Trafalgar and HMS Triumph have also been declared surplus. They will be kept in storage and disposed of through the submarine dismantling project in due course.

EDUCATION

Carers: Grandparents

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what provision his Department has made to support grandparents who are the primary carers of their grandchildren; whether any support is planned during the next two years; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education has published statutory guidance on family and friends care which came into force in April 2011.
	The guidance sets out the framework for the provision of support to family and friends carers and includes a requirement for local authorities to publicise the support and services available locally.

Children's Centres: Closures

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of closures of Sure Start children's centres since April 2010.

Sarah Teather: The Department has been consulting with local authorities about the number of Sure Start children's centres they have in their areas.

Dominic Cummings

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether Mr Dominic Cummings issued instructions to civil servants prior to his appointment as special adviser;
	(2)  whether Mr Dominic Cummings was involved in discussions concerning his Department's budget prior to his appointment as special adviser.

Tim Loughton: Civil servants only take instructions from Ministers (via Private Offices) and more senior civil servants.
	Decisions on budget allocations are made by Ministers on the basis of advice from civil servants. The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) considers a wide range of evidence and has discussions with a wide range of parties in coming to a view on funding priorities, and this has been the case both before and after the appointment of Mr Cummings as a special adviser.

Grandparents

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) meetings he has had with the Grandparents' Association; what issues were discussed; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: This Department has had no recent representations from, or meetings with, the Grandparents’ Association.

Legal Opinion

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on (a) legal advice and (b) instructing counsel in (i) 2007, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) the first six months of 2011; how many times (A) his Department was taken to court and (B) a decision taken by his Department was subject to a judicial review; and what the outcome was of each such (1) case and (2) review.

Tim Loughton: Legal advice to the Department for Education and its predecessors, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, and the Department for Education and Skills, is provided primarily by the Department's Legal Directorate. The cost, rounded to the nearest pound, of running Legal Directorate is set out in the following table. The Legal Directorate provided a shared service to the former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills from June 2007 to November 2009, and the figures provided include these costs.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2007-08 4,850,186 
			 2008-09 4,765,905 
			 2009-10 4,627,417 
			 2010-11 3,110,793 
			 April-September 2011 2,426,148 
		
	
	The Department does not keep a separate record of the amount spent instructing counsel each year, so extracting this information from the Department's central payment system could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department does not keep a single central record of the number of claims brought against it each year or the number of times a decision it has taken has been challenged by way of judicial review. The Department is aware of six judicial review cases which have been brought against the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) in the first six months of 2011. Of these applications, two have either been withdrawn or permission to seek judicial review has been refused, and four are proceeding. In the absence of central records, to provide any further information on claims brought and their outcomes could be done only at disproportionate cost.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has reviewed the administration of the Fruit for Schools scheme; and which organisation is responsible for the scheme's administration.

Sarah Teather: The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme falls under the remit of the Department of Health. The scheme is administered by NHS Supply Chain, under a service level agreement to the Department of Health, and is subject to regular review.

Schools: Sports

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department plans to allocate to school sport in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The Government have protected school funding at flat cash per pupil, before adding the new pupil premium. The pupil premium is totally in addition to this and will be worth £2.5 billion by 2014-15, to support the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. Funding for PE and sport is not ring-fenced within that and it is for schools to decide the appropriate amount to spend on what is an integral part of the rounded education that they should provide for all pupils.
	On top of that, the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), announced transitional funding of £65 million to release secondary PE teachers for one day a week to work with local primary schools to embed the best practice from the previous PE and sport strategy and to promote more competitive sport. This funding is broken down by academic year as follows: 2011/12—£32.5 million; and 2012/13—£32.5 million.
	The Department for Education has also agreed the following sport-related grants in 2011-12: Sport England Disability—£3.0 million; Sport England Volunteer Coaches and Leaders—£1.0 million; LOCOG Get Set—£1.5 million; and Youth Sport Trust Young Ambassadors—£0.75 million. No decisions have yet been made on grants for future years.

Schools: Sports

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the performance of the Youth Sport Trust in increasing participation in (a) general school sports and games activities, (b) intra-school sports competition and (c) inter-school sports competition in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has acknowledged the role of the Youth Sport Trust in advising successive Governments on physical education and school sport. He has also acknowledged that, with the support of the Youth Sport Trust, schools have been able to raise levels of participation in PE and sport in areas targeted by the previous Government. The Secretary of State for Education has thanked, publicly, Baroness Campbell and the staff of the Trust, as well as the schools themselves, for their hard work in this respect.
	The Government recognises the good work that school sport partnerships and national bodies such as the Youth Sport Trust, Sport England, the Association for Physical Education, SportsCoach UK and many national governing bodies of sport, have done in supporting sport in schools. The Government are working with these bodies to promote more competitive sport in schools through the creation and roll out of the School Games.

Schools: Eggs

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has issued guidelines to schools on their buying criteria to ensure eggs produced in conventional cages should not be used in any form.

James Paice: I have been asked to reply.
	The greater proportion of food procured by local authorities is for schools. DEFRA is working with the Department for Education, the School Food Trust and the major local authority buying organisations, in particular those in the PRO 5 consortium, and others to embed the Government Buying Standards (GBS), as they are developed, into national procurement frameworks for food and catering services.
	Mandatory GBS criteria currently bans the use of fresh (in-shell) eggs from conventional cage systems. If a cage system is used they should be enriched cages. In light of the forthcoming EU ban on conventional cages, we intend to extend this mandatory criteria to cover all liquid and powdered egg products, which are currently in voluntary best practice criteria.
	The Government believe that their role is to set a credible and workable example for the wider public sector to follow, and it is this that the GBS is designed to deliver. All public bodies have a different set of requirements and the local people most closely connected with them, staff, patients, governors, will have different priorities, making them best placed to decide how to achieve the objectives we are aiming for.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments: EU Law

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential effects of the transposition into UK law of the EU directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes.

Lynne Featherstone: European directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes is to be implemented in United Kingdom legislation on 1 January 2013. A detailed assessment of the impact of its provisions is under way following the public consultation on options for transposition which closed on 5 September 2011.
	We are now analysing the responses to the public consultation on the options for transposition and will publish a summary report by the end of 2011.

Cyber Crime

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her assessment is of the adequacy of the priority given by the National Security Strategy to the threat posed to the UK by cyber crime.

James Brokenshire: The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review prioritised the cyber threat as one of the top four threats facing the UK (Tier 1). According to Dettica, in their report ‘The Cost of Cyber Crime’, cyber crime alone costs the UK economy £27 billion a year. Because of the scale and complexity of this threat to our national security, combating cyber crime will be an important part of the Government's forthcoming cyber security strategy.
	The Government have committed £650 million over the next four years to help protect the UK in cyber space, including £63 million specifically to tackle computer-enabled crime.

Cyber Crime

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the current measures in place to enable businesses to (a) report cyber-crime and (b) gain police assistance in cases of cyber-crime.

James Brokenshire: £63 million has been allocated by the National Cyber Security Programme to strengthen the UK's response to cyber crime, in addition to existing resources. The Action Fraud service currently takes crime and information reports of fraud from businesses and individuals and passes them to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) for action. The Action Fraud service will shortly be expanded to include financially-motivated cyber crime types. Action Fraud will provide a single means for enabling businesses and individuals to report financially-motivated cyber crime. We will also build on the expertise of the Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) and SOCA's e-crime unit to create a specialist cyber crime unit within the National Crime Agency and to help mainstream capacity to tackle cyber issues across police forces.
	Get Safe Online, a joint Government and industry initiative to raise awareness of internet safety, provides advice and guidance to help individuals and businesses to protect themselves online. Its website is:
	www.getsafeonline.org

Dangerous Dogs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the use of dogs in instances of (a) gang and (b) youth violence.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has not made an assessment of the use of dogs in instances of gang and youth violence. However, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has made it a priority to look at the complex issue of dangerous dogs, including in relation to gangs, which we recognise is an increasingly important issue for the public. DEFRA are currently considering a package of measures to address this issue and will shortly announce a range of proposals.

Dangerous Dogs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her strategy on gang and youth violence will take account of the use of dogs in acts of violence.

James Brokenshire: As part of our strategy to reduce gang and youth violence, we are planning to introduce later this year gang injunctions for under 18s. Gang injunctions for over 18s are already in place and can be used to prohibit someone from being in charge of, or in a particular place with, a particular species of dog. We are also planning to introduce Criminal Behaviour Orders and Crime Prevention Injunctions which will apply to under 18s and could contain prohibitions and requirements which relate to antisocial or dangerous dogs. For example the court could order that a dog had to be kept muzzled in public, or that an owner had to attend dog training classes, if this was required to prevent future antisocial behaviour involving dogs.

Demonstrations: Costs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department's policy is on recovering policing costs from the organisers of demonstrations.

Nick Herbert: The police do not levy a charge for the policing of marches or protests. For any protests or marches which require a significant police presence, the police force is able to apply for a special grant to assist them with the costs of the operation, subject to the operation meeting certain criteria.

Deportation: Children

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the use of control and restraint on children in pre-departure accommodation.

Damian Green: Detainee custody officers (DCOs) must be certificated by the Secretary of State for the Home Department to carry out their duties and to exercise powers, one of the conditions of which is that they have undergone training on restraint techniques approved by the National Offender Management Service. Officers receive refresher training every 12 months. Separate training is provided for those involved in the overseas escorting of children, using non-pain compliant techniques, Physical Control in Care (PCC).
	Restraint on a child is only ever used where it is strictly necessary to prevent self-harm or to protect others and property. In very exceptional circumstances officers may be given authority to physically intervene to enforce a child's removal where, despite attempts to persuade them to comply, they refuse to do so. Interventions may start with guiding or shepherding, before PCC techniques are used.
	There have been no such interventions at Cedars pre-departure accommodation.
	This information is based on management information, and is not subject to the detailed checks carried out for National Statistics. It is provisional and subject to change. A child is defined as a person aged under 18 years of age.

Driving Offences: Speed Limits

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces permit persons identified as having exceeded the speed limit to attend a driving safety course in lieu of penalty points; and if she will make a statement. [R]

Nick Herbert: All forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland except Wiltshire police currently provide some kind of speed awareness course. Wiltshire police are at an advanced stage of a procurement exercise for provision of a course. The offer of a course is a matter for police discretion.

Firearms: Licensing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal firearms were confiscated in each of the last five years.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office.

Home Office Circular

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to finalise proposals for a revision of Home Office circular 46/2004.

Nick Herbert: The Police Negotiating Board has been discussing proposals for revised guidance on the issues covered in Home Office Circular 46/2004. We expect to conclude these discussions early next year.

Immigration

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average it takes to return documents to an individual who has been granted leave to remain.

Damian Green: Although the UK Border Agency records this information on the Case Information Database (CID) it would require a case by case search to retrieve the information. Given the volumes of cases involved this would exceed the cost threshold.

Offenders: Ex-servicemen

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many police areas people arrested for offences are routinely asked whether they have served in the armed forces; and whether in such cases they are directed to relevant welfare agencies.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office imposes no such requirements on police forces.

Passports: Fraud

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of passport fraud Passport Office staff have detected in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) figures for passport frauds detected in each of the last of five years are shown in the following table. These figures include confirmed frauds, probable frauds and possible frauds.
	
		
			  IPS detected frauds total 
			 2006-07 6,108 
			 2007-08 9,382 
			 2008-09 9,254 
			 2009-10 7,344 
			 2010-11 7,870

Police

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police from Nottinghamshire are being seconded to London 2012 policing; and what steps will be taken to cover any gap in local policing.

Nick Herbert: While detailed planning continues and the final resource requirements will not be confirmed until early 2012, it is anticipated that a small number of Olympic venue forces, including Dorset, Surrey and the Metropolitan Police Service, are likely to require a level of additional support in the form of officers supplied under mutual aid arrangements.
	Requests for mutual aid will be co-ordinated through the Association of Chief Police Officers, Police National Information and Co-ordination Centre (ACPO PNICC). It is expected that all non-venue forces across the UK, including Nottinghamshire Police, will be asked to supply resources to the national operation and PNICC will ensure that resource requests are proportionate to the relative size and capacity of the providing force.
	Donor forces will be reimbursed in accordance with the prevailing mutual aid arrangements, which will allow the Chief Constable to choose to backfill abstracted officers, thereby mitigating any potential impact on local service delivery.

Police: Finance

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the value is of financial reserves held by each police authority.

Nick Herbert: This information is available on each police authority's website and on the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) website.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff will be employed by the (a) Cardiff Location Immigration Team (LIT), (b) South West LIT, (c) Gwent and North Wales LIT and (d) South West Wales LIT in each year between 2010 and 2015.

Damian Green: The following table sets out the available information for staffing in these teams. Forward planning for 2012-15 is not yet available at this level of detail.
	
		
			 South West (LIT)s 31 October 2010  (1)   FTE  (2) 31 March 2011 FTE 30 September 2011 FTE 
			 (a) Cardiff Location Immigration Team (LIT) 71 64 66 
			 (b) South West LIT(3) 76 82 74 
			 (c) Gwent and North Wales LIT 14 17 33 
			 (d) South West Wales LIT 21 21 21 
			 Total LITs 182 184 194 
			 (1) Work force is only recorded centrally under this name in the South West Region from December 2010. (2) Full-time equivalent actuals, excluding staff on unpaid maternity leave, career break, special leave, or loan to other Government Departments. (3) Bristol, Devon, and Dorset LITs.

JUSTICE

Chief Coroner

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what account he has taken of the proportion of responses to his consultation on the Public Bodies Bill (a) for and (b) against including the Office of Chief Coroner in the Bill.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry is currently considering the responses to the consultation and the weight that should be given to these.
	The Government intend to publish their response to the consultation by the end of the year.

Community Orders: Voluntary Organisations

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the charges made by the community payback teams to voluntary organisations in communities which benefit from the visits and the work carried out; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: At the present time probation trusts are responsible for the provision of community payback. A number of trusts do seek contributions from selected beneficiary organisations towards the costs of delivering the sentence. No assessment has been made of the impact of these charges. Future delivery of community payback will be subject to competition, which has commenced with London. The competition process will ensure that community payback will more effectively serve the needs of public and local communities.

Crimes of Violence: Sentencing

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy that when sentencing guidelines for assault state that an aggravating factor should be given for offences committed against those working in the public sector or providing a service to the public, this should include (a) retailers and (b) retail staff.

Crispin Blunt: Sentencing guidelines are issued by the Sentencing Council, which is independent from Government. The Sentencing Council's guideline on assault offences includes an aggravating factor of the offence being committed against those working in the public sector or providing a service to the public. The Council intentionally worded this factor in such a way that the courts could interpret it widely. As a result, it would include retailers and retail staff in relevant cases.
	This aggravating factor applies to the following offences within the assault guideline:
	Grievous bodily harm with intent
	Grievous bodily harm
	Actual bodily harm
	Common assault.

Cybercrime: Convictions

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of cyber crimes perpetrated against businesses in each of the last three years.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not all the circumstances of each case. It is therefore not possible to identify from these centrally held data those proceedings arising from offences perpetrated against businesses in which a computer or network were used in the commissioning of the offence.

Departmental Parliamentary Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether draft answers to parliamentary questions prepared by officials in his Department are cleared by special advisers (a) before and (b) after the relevant Minister.

Kenneth Clarke: Special advisers in my Department do not routinely see draft answers before they are seen by Ministers, and they never interfere with answers once the relevant Minister has signed them.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by his Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010.

Kenneth Clarke: The information requested is contained in the attached table. This table is accurate as of 8 November 2011.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments’ performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.
	
		
			 Ministry of Justice: Parliamentary questions for answer on a named day 
			  On time Up to five days late Up to 10 days late Up to 20 days late Over 30 days late Total 
			 May 2010 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 June 2010 41 0 0 0 0 41 
			 July 2010 52 0 0 0 0 52 
			 August 2010 0 0 ¦ 0 0 0 0 
			 September 2010 16 1 0 0 0 17 
			 October 2010 45 1 0 0 0 46 
			 November 2010 70 0 1 0 0 71 
			 December 2010 40 0 0 0 0 40 
		
	
	
		
			 January 2011 82 3 0 0 0 85 
			 February 2011 66 0 0 0 0 66 
			 March 2011 83 2 0 0 0 85 
			 April 2011 16 0 0 0 0 16 
			 May 2011 27 0 0 0 0 27 
			 June 2011 87 3 5 1 0 96 
			 July 2011 63 1 0 0 0 64 
			 August 2011 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 September 2011 43 2 0 1 0 46 
			 October 2011 58 2 0 0 0 60 
			 November 2011 17 1 0 0 0 18 
			 Notes: 1. In this table, days means days on which the house of Commons was sitting.  2. The figures have been drawn from the Ministry of Justice parliamentary questions database, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by his Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.

Kenneth Clarke: No parliamentary question asked of my Department has remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments’ performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Disability Living Allowance: Appeals

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the length of time for an appeal to be heard in respect of a reduction in a claimant's disability living allowance.

Jonathan Djanogly: Appeals against decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions on an individual's entitlement to disability living allowance (DLA) are heard by the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support). The tribunal does not record the issue under appeal and, therefore, cannot isolate appeals made in respect of reductions in DLA.
	The average length of time taken from receipt of a DLA appeal to the clearance or disposal of a case in September 2011 (the latest period for which statistics have been published) was 28.2 weeks. This figure includes cases that were decided by a tribunal hearing and those that were disposed of by other means (such as being withdrawn, superseded or struck out).

Prison Sentences

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made on the review of the sentence of imprisonment for public protection; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: On 26 October the Government tabled amendments to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill taking forward changes to sentencing for dangerous offenders. The Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence will be replaced with a new regime which will include the following measures:
	Mandatory life sentences—a ‘two strikes’ policy so that a mandatory life sentence will be given to anyone convicted of a second very serious sexual or violent crime.
	The extended determinate sentence (EDS)—dangerous offenders convicted of serious sexual and violent crimes will be imprisoned for at least two-thirds of their sentence. Offenders convicted of the most serious sexual and violent crimes in this category will not be released before the end of their sentence without Parole Board approval.
	Offenders who complete an EDS must then serve extended licence periods where they will be closely monitored and returned to prison if necessary. The courts have the power to give up to an extra five years of licence for violent offenders and eight years for sexual offenders on top of their custodial term.

Prisoners: Per Capita Costs

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the average annual cost to the public purse was of a prison place in England and Wales for the latest year for which information is available;
	(2)  whether the calculation of the cost of a prison place in England and Wales includes expenditure on health, education and probation services.

Crispin Blunt: The average annual overall cost of a prison place in England and Wales for financial year 2010-11 is £39,573 as published in the National Offender Management Service annual reports of 2010-11 under Management Information Addendum.
	This is the latest period for which figures are available. Cost per prison place is overall resource expressed in terms of the Baseline Certified Normal Accommodation number of places. The overall cost also includes prison related overheads met centrally by NOMS. This includes some estimation.
	The calculation for cost of a prison place is based on net expenditure related to prisons included in the annual accounts of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and does not include expenditure which is met by other Government Departments, such as expenditure on health and education. In prisons managed by the private sector, health and education costs are generally met by NOMS and so are included. Expenditure recharged to the Youth Justice Board in respect of young people is included.
	Any expenditure met directly by the Youth Justice Board is not included.
	Expenditure on probation services is not included, except where probation staff are seconded to prisons.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) provides both physical resources and staff to support educational activities and employment support for prisoners. Some employment support is delivered in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions. Training for prisoners is delivered mainly by Prison Service staff, while prisoners work or are engaged in various areas such as prison industries, catering, physical education, land based activities, industrial cleaning and laundries. Expenditure on services provided by NOMS is included.

TREASURY

Arms Trade: North Africa

John Stanley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sums in loans (a) lent and (b) guaranteed by the Government to the former Government of Egypt for the purchase of UK arms the Government is now seeking repayment for; and what arms of what monetary value were bought in each case.

Mark Hoban: Egypt currently owes £93.1 million to the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD). This amount arose as a result of claims following defaults by obligors in Egypt in the 1970s and 1980s. The debt was rescheduled in 1986 and 1991 through Paris Club agreements, leading to 50% of the outstanding debt being written off. It is not possible to disaggregate from the current debt that part which relates to any specific original claim.

Arms Trade: North Africa

John Stanley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from which countries in North Africa and the Middle East, other than Egypt, the Government is now seeking the repayment of loans made by, or guaranteed by, the British Government for the purchase of UK arms prior to the Arab Spring.

Mark Hoban: Only Iraq and Iran in the Middle East and North Africa region (excluding Egypt) have outstanding debts to the UK Government, where the original claims relate to the purchase of defence equipment from UK exporters. For Iran these claims relate to export transactions prior to its revolution in 1979. For Iraq these claims relate to transactions over the 1970s and 1980s. Iraq received substantial debt relief and rescheduling of these claims in 2005 and it is not possible to disaggregate from the current debt that part which relates to any specific original claim.

Departmental Parliamentary Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether draft answers to parliamentary questions prepared by officials in his Department are cleared by special advisers (a) before and (b) after the relevant Minister.

Chloe Smith: The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers states that a special adviser may review papers going to ministers and give assistance on any aspect of departmental business.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by his Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010;
	(2)  how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by his Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.

Chloe Smith: The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session are available on the Parliament website.
	The information requested is not available. However the most up to date statistics, in the form requested by the Procedure Committee, are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Time period Named day written PQs answered since May 2010 
			 On time 813 
			 Five days late 301 
			 10 days late 105

Individual Savings Accounts: Environment Protection

Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department plans to introduce individual savings accounts that encourage investment in green industries.

Mark Hoban: The Government are undertaking analysis into how investment in green industries can be increased. The ISA market is competitive and a number of providers have chosen to offer green, environmental or ethical ISAs.
	The Government are currently considering how best to encourage additional investment in green infrastructure through the Green Investment Bank, and proposals on this were announced in Budget 2011 and further details in May 2011.

Public Sector: Pensions

Dominic Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional cost to the public purse in cash terms will arise from the Government commitment, announced on 2 November 2011, that individuals within 10 years of receiving their public sector pension on 1 April 2012 will see no change in when they can retire nor any decrease in the pension they receive at their normal pension age.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 8 November 2011
	The Government have set out an objective that those public service workers who, as of 1 April 2012, have 10 years or less to their current pension age see no change in when they can retire, nor any decrease in the amount of pension they receive at their current normal pension age.
	Schemes and unions will discuss the fairest way of achieving this objective, taking full account of equalities impacts and legislation, and within the Government's parameter that costs to the taxpayer in each and every year do not exceed the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts for public service pensions.

Public Sector: Pensions

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the assumptions used to calculate the values in Table 2.A of Public Service pensions: good pensions that last, what estimate he has made of the effect in financial terms of a switch from retail prices index to consumer prices index indexation on (a) a nurse retiring on £34,200 per annum, (b) a teacher retiring on £37,800 per annum, (c) a local government officer retiring on £21,500 per annum, (d) a civil servant retiring on £29,800 per annum and (e) a health assistant retiring on £14,600 per annum. [R]

Danny Alexander: The Government announced in the June 2010 Budget that their policy would be to use the consumer price index (CPI) instead of the retail price index (RPI) to uprate many benefits and pensions, including public service pensions. Both Houses of Parliament approved this policy decision.
	Calculating the figures in Table 2A of ‘Public Service pensions: good pensions that last’, based on an assumption of RPI as the uprating measure rather than CPI, produces the following estimates:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Final salary Value of pension benefits from CARE with 1/60ths accrual Equivalent pension pot 
			 Nurse 34,200 22,800 650,000 
			 Teacher 37,800 25,200 725,000 
			 Civil Servant 29,800 24,300 700,000 
			 L.G. Officer 21,500 17,500 500,000 
			 Health Assistant 14,600 11,900 350,000 
			 Note: All data and assumptions except the uprating measure are the same as those used in ‘Public Service pensions: good pensions that last’.

Public Sector: Pensions

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of writing to people affected by planned changes to public sector pensions.

Danny Alexander: All employers, be they in the public or private sector, are responsible for informing their workforce about changes to their reward packages. Government Departments and public service employers are implementing their own communications activity on pensions reform. The activity is tailored directly to the needs of their staff and includes letters but also communication via other channels, such as e-mail and websites.
	We have no central estimate of the extra cost incurred as a result writing to staff, given that many letters will be received through internal post systems and in electronic form. Government Departments have not received any additional funding for this purpose.
	The Government are working with the wide range of public service employers to support this communications work. Her Majesty's Treasury has also published web pages that provide information about the proposed reforms to public service pensions, which will be kept up to date.

Revenue and Customs

Paul Uppal: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs has taken to improve efficiency and customer relations in the last 12 months.

David Gauke: In the last 12 months HMRC has been setting and mobilising its plans to deliver its Spending Review 2010 commitments. These are maximising revenue flows, improving customer experience and reducing costs in a sustainable way. More detail is included in HMRC's Change Plan (published in February 2011) and Business Plan 2011-15 (published in May 2011).
	HMRC has established a Change Programme to manage and report on progress and delivery.

Taxation: Multinational Companies

Paul Uppal: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals for a multilateral agreement to require multinational mining companies to be more transparent in their overseas tax affairs.

David Gauke: The Government support EU action to develop a reporting system for the extractives sector that matches the standards in the Dodd Frank legislation in the US. On 25 October the European Commission adopted two proposals in this area: the Accounting Directive and the Transparency Directive.

VAT: Sports

David Crausby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors he took into account when taking the decision to change the VAT status of sports clubs.

David Gauke: There has been no change to the VAT status of sports clubs.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Adam Werritty

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether (a) he, (b) any Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have met (i) Mr Michael Hintze, (ii) Mr Tony Buckingham, (iii) Mr Michael Davis, (iv) Mr Poju Zabludowicz, (v) Jon Moulton and (vi) Stephen Crouch; and where any such meetings took place.

Andrew Mitchell: Details of all Ministers external meetings are available on the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Our-organisation1/Ministers/
	and are published every quarter in the normal way.
	Information for other officials' meetings is not held centrally.

Adam Werritty

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether (a) he, (b) officials of his Department and (c) special advisers in his Department have met Mr Adam Werritty on official business since May 2010; and how many such meetings took place (i) on his Department's premises and (ii) elsewhere.

Andrew Mitchell: Details of all external meetings are available on the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Our-organisation1/Ministers/
	and are published every quarter in the normal way.
	Information for other officials' meetings is not held centrally.

Departmental Research

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's research and development budget was in each of the last five years; and what that budget will be for each year of the spending review period.

Alan Duncan: The DFID central research budget in each of the last five years and for each year of the spending review period is given in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2006-07 110 
			 2007-08 130 
			 2008-09 125 
			 2009-10 177 
			 20010-11 203 
			 20011-12 201 
			 2012-13 229 
			 2013-14 305 
			 2014-15 320

Developing Countries: Taxation

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is giving to developing countries to ensure that tax is collected efficiently and effectively.

Alan Duncan: The Government are helping to strengthen tax systems in a number of developing countries, including Burundi, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sierra Leone. Support varies from country to country. In Burundi, development assistance through a multi-donor effort is helping to establish an independent Revenue Authority. Over the first nine months of 2011, revenue was 37% above the same period in 2010. In both Bangladesh and Sierra Leone our development assistance is helping to establish a unit to manage large taxpayers. In Bangladesh it is also helping to strengthen the audit function and in Sierra Leone it includes help with introducing new computer systems.

Kyrgyzstan: Overseas Aid

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the (a) monetary value and (b) delivery of humanitarian aid provided by his Department to Kyrgyzstan in the last three years.

Alan Duncan: In February 2009, DFID contributed £650,000 to the United Nations 2008 Flash Appeal for the Kyrgyz Republic. The appeal aimed to help support the needs of some two million people as well as to ensure continuation of essential services. DFID's support was provided to: (a) the World Food Programme (WFP) to ensure food access for the 580,000 most vulnerable people (£500,000); and (b) the Office of the UN Resident Co-ordinator in Bishkek to strengthen its co-ordination capacity for implementation of the Flash Appeal and design and implementation of early recovery programmes (£150,000).
	In 2010, following the violent conflict in the South of Kyrgyzstan, DFID did not directly fund the UN appeal, but made a contribution through a number of international organisations, including: (a) the UN Central Emergency Fund (CERF) which allocated $8 million in response to the situation; and (b) the European Commission which earmarked up to €5 million for emergency aid on top of €6 million allocated from its Instrument for Stability in response to the initial unrest in April 2010 (the UK provided approximately 15% of this EU expenditure).
	I have deposited in the Library of the House copies of the UN Flash Appeal 2008 Final Report and Lessons Learned (2009), WFP's Post Distribution Report (October 2009) and UNDP's Report on Addressing Energy, Food and Economic Insecurities in Kyrgyzstan (November 2009).

Somaliland: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on projects in Somaliland in the last 12 months.

Andrew Mitchell: British aid in Somaliland aims to produce results in governance and peace building, maternal and child health, job creation and humanitarian assistance. Some of the results achieved over the past year include:
	7,400 new jobs created over the last 12 months as a result of increased farming activities.
	3,000 malnourished children treated and clean water provided to 50,000.
	7,000 court cases handled due to improved legal systems within the Somaliland Government.
	Britain has provided over £14 million to support projects in Somaliland in the last 12 months.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Adam Werritty

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether (a) he, (b) his Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have met (i) Mr Michael Hintze, (ii) Mr Tony Buckingham, (iii) Mr Michael Davis, (iv) Mr Poju Zabludowicz, (v) Mr Jon Moulton and (vi) Mr Stephen Crouch; and where any such meetings took place.

Chris Grayling: Information relating to meetings between external organisations and this Department's Ministers' and Permanent Secretary is published on a quarterly basis on the Department's website. Links to the relevant pages are as follows:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ministers-meetings-overseas.shtml
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ps-meetings-external-orgs.shtml
	Information for other officials' meetings is not held centrally.

Construction: Jarrow

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the construction industry were (a) killed and (b) injured in the workplace in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in each year since 1997.

Chris Grayling: The following table shows the numbers of reportable fatal and non-fatal injuries to workers in the construction industry. This does not include deaths in the workplace unrelated to work activities. The available geographic data do not allow the constituency of Jarrow to be identified.
	
		
			 Fatal and non-fatal injuries to workers in the construction industry  (1)   as reported to all enforcing authorit  ies 1997-98 to 2010-  11  (2) 
			  South Tyneside  (3) North East  (4) Great Britain  (5) 
			  Employees Self-employed Employees Self-employed Employees Self-employed 
			 Fatal injuries       
			 1997-98 — — 2 1 58 22 
			 1998-99 — — — — 47 18 
			 1999-2000 — — — — 61 20 
			 2000-01 — — 1 — 73 32 
			 2001-02 — — 8 — 60 20 
			 2002-03 — — 3 — 56 14 
			 2003-04 — 1 4 1 52 19 
			 2004-05 — — 1 1 55 14 
			 2005-06 — — 3 1 43 17 
			 2006-07 — — 1 1 54 25 
			 2007-08 — — — — 53 19 
			 2008-09 — — 2 1 32 20 
			 2009-10 — — 1 — 29 12 
			 2010-11(2) — — 1 1 32 18 
			        
			 Non-fatal major injuries       
			 1997-98 6 — 203 2 3,860 466 
			 1998-99 7 — 211 6 4,289 367 
			 1999-2000 5 — 229 3 4,386 363 
			 2000-01 16 — 210 4 4,303 405 
			 2001-02 4 — 188 8 4,068 541 
			 2002-03 13 — 190 16 4,040 694 
			 2003-04 12 — 194 14 3,997 753 
			 2004-05 4 — 182 13 3,797 732 
			 2005-06 7 — 170 22 3,725 775 
			 2006-07 6 4 153 25 3,742 732 
			 2007-08 8 — 185 14 3,727 711 
			 2008-09 5 1 162 18 3,318 632 
			 2009-10 12 — 134 14 2,601 544 
			 2010-11(2) 3 — 112 20 2,298 559 
			        
			 Over-three-day-injuries       
			 1997-98 47 — 824 — 9,756 509 
			 1998-99 34 1 619 7 9,195 381 
			 1999-2000 17 — 678 4 10,159 345 
		
	
	
		
			 2000-01 34 1 683 6 9,367 429 
			 2001-02 22 — 603 15 9,141 596 
			 2002-03 15 — 664 21 8,992 630 
			 2003-04 18 — 415 25 8,322 742 
			 2004-05 24 — 434 18 7,632 753 
			 2005-06 15 — 416 21 7,625 832 
			 2006-07 26 — 397 15 7,219 755 
			 2007-08 14 1 374 18 7,533 710 
			 2008-09 20 1 376 16 6,860 569 
			 2009-10 22 1 274 17 5,712 527 
			 2010-11(2) 9 — 243 12 4,784 544 
			 (1) Statistics for the years 1997-98 to 2000-01 are identified by Standard Industrial Classification 1992 (SIC92) Section F—Construction. For the years 2001-02 and on, statistics are presented on the new basis of 'SIC 2007' Section F—Construction. Changes to industrial classifications occur periodically, to reflect how the industrial composition of the economy changes over time. (2) Provisional. (3) Identified by local authority code 4520 'South Tyneside'. (4) For the years 1997-98 to 2000-01, identified by the HSE geographical area for the North East. From 2001-02 onwards, identified by Government Office Region for the North East., Both include South Tyneside LA. (5) Includes North East Government Office Region.

Crisis Loans

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average Social Fund crisis loan was in the last year for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: Average award figures for all social fund payments are published in annex one to the Annual Report by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the Social Fund. The average social fund crisis loan in 2010-11 was £83.

Crisis Loans

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what means Social Fund crisis loans are paid to individuals who do not hold a bank or post office account.

Steve Webb: Crisis loans are normally paid by cheque to applicants who do not have a bank or post office account. In exceptional circumstances cash payments may be made.

Departmental Legal Opinion

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times his Department sought legal advice from external counsel in (a) 2007, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) the first six months of 2011.

Chris Grayling: Regrettably, it is not possible to answer this PQ at a reasonable cost. This is because information is not recorded in this form and in order to establish the answer, it would be necessary to gather together every file over the 3½ year period (the bulk of which would have to be retrieved from store, as non-current files are not retained within offices of the reasons of lack of space) and then have a lawyer go through them to identify each and every occasion on which such advice was sought. Equally, such an exercise would be necessary in relation to each and every court case. In addition, it is possible that such an exercise would not identify every case of oral or telephonic advice. For these reasons the probable cost of answering this parliamentary question would be well in excess of £800.

Departmental Manpower

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of his Department's headcount in each of the next three years.

Chris Grayling: Departmental headcount has been reduced by around 7,000 full-time equivalents since the beginning of the spending review in April 2011. It is estimated that headcount will continue to reduce for the remainder of this year and next year as streamlining and efficiencies are realised.
	Headcount levels in the following two years, 2013-14 and 2014-15, will be significantly impacted by the planned introduction of universal credit and migration of claimants from legacy benefits. Work force plans for these years are still being developed and at this stage it is not feasible to provide an estimate of the headcount levels.

Departmental Marketing

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on marketing in each month since June 2010.

Chris Grayling: We do not have a monthly breakdown of marketing spend across the Department.
	The following figures are campaign costs across the Department for each financial year.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2011-12 (1(st) quarter) 0.42 
			 2010-11 (1)3.59 
			 2009-10 27.22 
			 (1) 87% reduction on 2009-10. A proportion of this expenditure would have been spent prior to May 2010. The balance was split on essential leaflet provision for Jobcentre Plus and the Pension and Disability Carers Service and on pension's policy and reform. As per the Cabinet Office spending controls exemption process, both of these sets of expenditure were appropriately approved.

Departmental Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in his Department received a pay rise other than by promotion in the last two years; and what the average increase was in each such year.

Chris Grayling: In the 2010 Emergency Budget the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced that a two year pay freeze would be implemented for civil service staff outside the senior civil service (SCS). Base pay for the SCS was also frozen in 2010-11.
	The pay freeze for non-SCS applies for two years. In DWP the pay freeze applied to the pay years 2010-11 and 2011-12. Public sector pay guidance is clear that staff on full time equivalent earnings of £21,000 a year or under are guaranteed an increase of at least £250.
	The guidance also allowed for increases where there was a contractual entitlement to progression. DWP does not have contractual progression.
	In DWP payments were therefore limited to those earning £21,000 or under, plus a number of individuals who earned slightly more than £21,000 to ensure that they were not 'leapfrogged' by colleagues lower down the pay scale. In addition, during the 2010-11 year, pay rises were approved by Cabinet Office for four senior civil servants who each took on substantially bigger roles with increased responsibility. There have been no pay rises for any senior civil servants in the 2011-12 year.
	In both 2010-11 and 2011-12 DWP provided increases to eligible staff above the £250 guaranteed minimum. This is because DWP is a lower paying Department. Around 57% of staff received a pay rise in 2010-11 and around half of staff received an increase in 2011-12.
	The following table summarises pay increase data in DWP for the years 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	
		
			  Average increase (£) Average   increase (percentage  ) Number receiving base pay increase 
			 2010-11 471.74 2.7 64,563 
			 2011-12 462.30 2.6 52,388

Departmental Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the future level of benefit expenditure.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Annually managed expenditure  —  Great Britain 
			 £ million 
			  Cash terms Real terms 2011-12 prices 
			 2011-12 157,026 157,026 
			 2012-13 162,183 158,228 
			 2013-14 163,359 155,186 
			 2014-15 167,449 154,890 
		
	
	
		
			 2015-16 173,103 155,909 
			 Notes: 1. The forecast expenditure figures shown here are consistent with the March 2011 Budget forecasts published by the Office for Budget Responsibility. 2. Figures do not include Northern Ireland, except for Over 75 TV Licences which relate to the United Kingdom. Figures include payments overseas. 3. Child Benefit expenditure is the responsibility of HM Revenue and Customs; War Pensions expenditure is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence. Expenditure on these benefits is not included. 4. Figures do not include administration costs. 
		
	
	Further benefit expenditure and caseload information can be found on the Department for Work and Pensions website at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure

Departmental Translation Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) documents, (b) leaflets and (c) other written materials for which his Department and its associated public bodies are responsible are published or provided in languages other than English; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of translating materials in each category in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The following table sets out the information requested.
	
		
			 Material published by Department for Work and Pensions and associated public bodies  (1)  ,  ()  Translation costs 2011-12  (2) 
			  Material £ 
			 Documents ESAN50(3)(,4) 5,305 
			 Leaflets ESAN54(5,4) 5,428 
			  EL2(6,7) 1,245 
			 Other written materials Correspondence(8) 9,435 
			  Welsh language translations(9) 15,791 
			  Independent Living Fund(10) (11)10,000 
			 (1) The Independent Living Fund is the only associated body who reported any translation spend.  (2) From 1 April 2011 to 30 September 2011. (3) ESAN50 is a questionnaire sent to doctors in Europe to support claims for ESA made by EU citizens who have qualified while working in the UK and who then return to their home country.  (4) Translated into 13 European languages.  (5) ESAN54 is a leaflet giving doctors guidance on completing the ESAN50.  (6) EL2 is a pensions information leaflet, which is available only on the internet.  (7 )Translated into seven ethnic minority languages.  (8) Correspondence is made up of letters to UK resident customers who have requested that they be communicated with in a foreign language and letters sent overseas to request information to support benefit claims by UK citizens living abroad (mainly pensioners).  (9) Welsh language translations are a mixture of forms and information leaflets; a detailed breakdown is not immediately available. The majority of translations into Welsh are carried out by in-house teams.  (10) There is no breakdown of actual spend data for Independent Living Fund. This figure is an estimate based on budget.  (11) Estimate.

Departmental Work Experience

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unpaid and expenses-only internships (a) his Department and (b) each public body for which he is responsible employed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions does not routinely offer unpaid or expenses-only internships. There are none recorded in the last 12 months in the Department. Within the non-departmental public bodies, there are two bodies that currently have a combined total of 13 unpaid internships.
	The Department is leading the initiative to offer young people the opportunity to participate in working life by giving them an opportunity to gain work experience. I have given a commitment to host 3,000 work experience placements by the end of March 2013.
	The first people commenced their work experience in DWP on 11 July. As of 1 November there were 149 placements on unpaid work experience, where no expenses or allowances apply.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by his Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: Since May 2010 the Department has answered a total of 1,202 parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day, of which 1,161 (96.6%) were answered on time. The detailed information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  Named day PQs answered (a)   Number   answered on time (b)   Number   answered 5 to  9 days late (c)   Number   answered 10 to 19 days late (d)   Number   answered 20 to 30 days late (e)   Number   answered more than 30 days late 
			 2010       
			 June 71 66 0 0 0 0 
			 July 88 87 0 0 0 0 
			 September 34 33 1 0 0 0 
			 October 56 55 0 0 0 0 
			 November 126 122 1 0 0 0 
			 December 75 72 2 0 0 0 
			        
			 2011       
			 January 97 92 2 0 0 0 
			 February 105 103 0 0 1 0 
			 March 109 104 0 0 0 0 
			 April 43 42 0 0 1 0 
			 May 68 64 2 0 0 0 
			 June 117 111 0 3 1 0 
			 July 73 73 0 0 0 0 
			 September 43 41 0 0 0 0 
			 October 97 96 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments’ performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether draft answers to parliamentary questions prepared by officials in his Department are cleared by special advisers (a) before and (b) after the relevant Minister.

Chris Grayling: On occasion special advisers look at draft answers before the relevant Minister has seen them. They do not ‘clear’ draft answers but they provide political advice to departmental officials on behalf of the Minister.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of redundancies arising from the cancellation of Flexible New Deal contracts on the capacity of the welfare-to-work industry.

Chris Grayling: There is no evidence that the capacity of the welfare-to-work industry was adversely impacted by the cancellation of Flexible New Deal contracts, as demonstrated by the successful introduction, on time, of the Work programme and the industry's continuing willingness and capacity to take on further measures such as mandatory work activity and support for families.

Employment Schemes

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of accrued liabilities for Work programme contracts in each month since the Work programme began.

Chris Grayling: The Work programme is the Department's largest payment by results programme. Over the life of the contract, the cost is estimated to be £3 billion to £5 billion, funded largely out of the benefit savings it delivers and generating value for money for the taxpayer. Costs are incurred as customers are attached to the programme and subsequently move into work. It is not possible to estimate with any accuracy the size and timing of the future payment liabilities that are built up on a monthly basis.

Funeral Payments

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average funeral payment was in the last year for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: Average award figures for all social fund payments are published in annex one to the Annual Report by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the Social Fund. The average funeral payment award for 2010-11 was £1,217.

Income Support: Lone Parents

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents on income support there were in (a) Great Britain, (b) England, (c) the west midlands and (d) Dudley borough in (i) 1997, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2010.

Chris Grayling: The figures requested are in the following table.
	
		
			  May 
			  1997 2005 2010 
			 Great Britain 1,018,400 789,320 679,150 
			 England 867,800 680,880 589,960 
			 West midlands 92,300 75,580 68,340 
			 Dudley borough 4,600 3,830 3,660 
		
	
	2005 and 2010 figures come from a 100% source and have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	1997 figures come from a 5% sample and have been rounded to the nearest 100 due to their lower level of accuracy.
	Lone parent obligations were introduced from 24 November 2008 and by May 2010 the policy was being rolled out to lone parents whose youngest child was aged 10 or 11. This policy led to fewer lone parents claiming income support, and more lone parents seeking work and able to access sustainable employment

Industrial Health and Safety: Construction

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many businesses in the construction industry have been (a) prosecuted and (b) fined for breaches of health and safety regulations in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in each year since 1997.

Chris Grayling: The following table shows the number of separate prosecutions taken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE(1)) against employers or individuals in the construction industry. These cases may include a number of separate charges. If an employer or individual was prosecuted on more than one occasion, these will be counted separately in the table.
	Numbers for the Jarrow constituency cannot be separately identified. In the period shown, there were no prosecution cases in South Tyneside. The figures for the North East are for the Government office region. HSE's jurisdiction does not extend to Northern Ireland, so the national total shown is for Great Britain.
	(1) The Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations 1998 allocate enforcement of health and safety legislation in the construction industry to HSE.
	
		
			 Prosecution cases  (1)   taken by HSE  (2)   against employers or individuals in construction  (3)   1997-98 to 2010-11  (4) 
			 Region 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11  (5) 
			 North-east total 9 14 9 9 11 7 16 13 11 17 11 5 7 9 
			 Of which:               
			 Resulted in fine 9 12 8 8 11 7 16 11 10 15 10 5 6 9 
			                
			 GB total 377 374 373 366 306 297 277 263 206 225 202 214 185 214 
			 Of which:               
			 Resulted in fine 335 337 322 329 274 274 246 238 182 192 182 175 155 183 
			 (1) Figures quoted for each year represent the numbers of cases decided in that year, not the number of cases initiated. (2)  ( )In Scotland HSE and local authorities investigate potential offences but cannot institute legal proceedings. HSE and local authorities send a report to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). COPFS makes the final decision whether to institute legal proceedings and which offences are taken. For more information, see www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#enforcement (3) Industry classifications are based on SIC 2007 coding. (4) Provisional.

Industrial Health and Safety: Construction

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many site visits have been carried out by Health and Safety Executive inspectors in the construction industry in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Chris Grayling: This information is not available in the form requested without disproportionate cost.

Industrial Health and Safety: Construction

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many inspectors were employed by the Health and Safety Executive in each year since 1997.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 As at   1 April   each year Number of inspectors  (1) 
			 1997 1,442 
			 1998 1,437 
			 1999 1,497 
			 2000 1,508 
			 2001 1,534 
			 2002 1,625 
			 2003 1,651 
			 2004 1,605 
			 2005 1,530 
			 2006 (2)1,444 
			 2007 1,440 
			 2008 1,366 
			 2009 1,469 
			 2010 (3)1,495 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 (3)1,450 
			 (1) All figures are for substantive full time equivalents (FTEs), rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) The number and that for the subsequent years excludes 99 FTE inspectors that moved from the Health and Safety Executive to the Office of Rail Regulation when responsibility for rail regulation health and safety matters transferred on 1 April 2006. (3) The figures exclude temporary Inspectors of Construction on two-year fixed term contracts: 22 FTEs at 1 April 2010; 14 FTEs at 1 April 2011.

Industrial Health and Safety: Fines

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average fine was imposed on employers for breaches of health and safety regulations in (a) the north-east and (b) the UK in each year since 2007-08.

Chris Grayling: The data requested are contained in the following table. They include fines for breaches of health and safety regulations and of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The table acknowledges that each prosecution may involve breaches of more than one regulation/statute.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11  (1) 
			 HSE     
			 Average fine per prosecution on conviction in the north east (2)20,953 9,628 10,502 6,691 
			 Average fine per prosecution on conviction in Great Britain 20,405 22,935 23,903 (3)35,938 
			      
			 Local authorities     
			 Average fine per prosecution on conviction in the north east 7,875 3,500 7,667 10,000 
			 Average fine per prosecution on conviction in Great Britain 16,839 12,223 18,052 17,612 
			 (1) Indicates provisional data. (2) Six cases heard in this year resulted in fines between £60,000 and £120,000. (3) Heavily influenced by the fine of £5,350,000 resulting from the major incident at Buncefield. Notes: 1. Allocation of data to a geographical area is based on the location of the court where the offence was prosecuted. In some cases, this may be different to the location of the incident which led to prosecution. 2. Offences relating to breaches of health and safety regulations committed before 16 January 2009 were subject to maximum fines of £5,000. For the same offences committed after that date, magistrates courts may impose a fine of up to £20,000.

Innovation Fund: Young People

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his contribution of 24 October 2011, Official Report, column 3, how many young people have been placed in employment through his Department's £30 million innovation fund.

Chris Grayling: The Innovation Fund was announced on 12 May 2011 and will support disadvantaged young people and those at risk of disadvantage, aged 14 years and over. This programme is currently in the commissioning stages and will begin delivery in early 2012.

Jobcentre Plus

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the Jobcentre Plus risk register.

Chris Grayling: DWP has recently undergone a restructure, under which Jobcentre Plus formally closed as an Agency from 3 October 2011. The Jobcentre Plus risk register was also formally closed on that date.
	The Jobcentre Plus Annual Report and Accounts for period ending 31 March 2011, which include a Statement on Internal Control, were placed in the Library. They are also available on the DWP website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/jcp-annual-report-and-accounts-2010-2011.pdf
	Where appropriate, risks from the Jobcentre Plus Register continue to be managed, along with other DWP risks, at the appropriate level within DWP.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff are employed in a Jobcentre or Jobcentre Plus office in (i) Great Britain, (ii) England and (iii) the west midlands.

Chris Grayling: The following tables sets out the information on how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff work in a Jobcentre or Jobcentre Plus in (i) Great Britain; (ii) England; and (iii) the west midlands as of August 2011 and August 2010.
	
		
			 August 2011 
			  Jobcentre Plus Jobcentres 
			  Full-t  ime Part-  time Full-t  ime Part-  time 
			 Great Britain 47,708 29,174 23,595 14,809 
			 England 39,074 24,366 20,003 12,607 
			 West midlands 4,401 3,025 2,298 1,757 
		
	
	
		
			 August 2010 
			  Jobcentre Plus Jobcentres 
			  Full-t  ime Part-  time Full-t  ime Part-  time 
			 Great Britain 58,138 29,274 29,883 14,463 
			 England 47,913 24,510 25,434 12,343 
			 West midlands 5,773 3,052 3,157 1,678 
			 Notes: 1. The information is set out on a staff in post basis, i.e. employees are counted as a single unit irrespective of the hours they work. 2. The August 2011 data represent the latest date for which published information is available. The August 2010 data are included for comparison purposes. 3. Much of the difference in the staffing figures being reported between August 2010 and August 2011 is accounted for by people employed on fixed-term appointments having left Jobcentre Plus on or before their contract end dates. 4. Jobcentre Plus—covers the whole of the agency previously known as Jobcentre Plus before being absorbed into the new DWP structure. The staff numbers quoted in the response for Jobcentre Plus comprise the three operational arms of Jobcentres, Benefit Centres and Contact Centres and also the corporate and support functions (Finance, Change and Products, Strategy Planning Employers and Stakeholders, Operational Support). 5. Jobcentres—covers purely the network of local customer facing offices located in towns and cities across the country and is one of the three operational arms within Jobcentre Plus. The numbers quoted in the response for Jobcentres cover staff located in Jobcentres that undertake and directly support the front line operational work of delivering labour market interventions.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many special advisers are employed in his Department;
	(2)  if he will list the salaries of special advisers in his Department.

Chris Grayling: The Government publishes, on a regular basis, information about the numbers and costs of special advisers. A list was published on 19 July 2011. See:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/special-adviser-data-releases

New Deal Schemes: Contracts

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's estimate is of the (a) contract closure costs for the Flexible New Deal and (b) costs associated with procurement of Work programme contracts.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	(a) It is not possible to provide an estimate of the cost of closing Flexible New Deal contracts while the Department is still engaged in confidential commercial discussions with providers.
	(b) The costs associated with the procurement of Work Programme contracts were £3.57 million, these costs cover a central procurement team and associated services required to complete the procurement.

Pensions

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to take steps to mitigate the effects of quantitative easing (QE) on (a) pension funds due for statutory triennial valuation during the current phase of QE and (b) other pension funds.

Steve Webb: The Pensions Act 2004 introduced a scheme-specific approach to regulating pension scheme funding. The Pensions Regulator, which is operationally independent of Ministers, has made it clear that funding objectives must be set prudently, to uphold stability during various economic climates. The scheme funding regime is sufficiently flexible, in terms of both the form and duration of recovery plans, to support pension schemes in meeting long-term liabilities through fluctuations in the economic cycle. It allows trustees the flexibility to develop prudent funding strategies which take account of the particular circumstances of their particular scheme.
	Pension scheme funding strategies are designed to deliver members' benefits over the long-term, during which time there will inevitably be fluctuations in the economic cycle. I understand that the Regulator will continue to apply the system pragmatically looking for outcomes in the best interests of the scheme and sponsor. This will be the case whether schemes are due their triennial valuation during the phase of quantitative easing or at a later date.

Social Security Benefits

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit sanctions were (a) issued and (b) enforced in each month since June 2010.

Chris Grayling: Information on the number of benefit sanctions (a) issued and (b) enforced in each month since June 2010 for jobseeker's allowance (JSA), employment and support allowance (ESA), and income support (IS) is provided in the following tables.
	The number of benefit sanctions issued has been interpreted to mean the total number of cases that have been referred to a decision maker for a sanction decision. Information relating to the number of such cases is only available for jobseeker's allowance.
	The number of sanctions imposed has been interpreted to mean the number of those cases where an adverse decision has been given. This information is available for JSA, IS and ESA.
	Jobseeker's allowance (JSA)
	The following table shows this number of referrals made and the number of sanctions imposed by month since June 2010 as requested:
	
		
			 Year/  Month Number of referrals Number of sanctions 
			 2010   
			 June 120,090 57,350 
			 July 131,840 62,630 
			 August 139,300 65,940 
			 September 143,730 69,360 
			 October 144,960 70,230 
			 November 148,310 73,530 
		
	
	
		
			 December 115,520 54,780 
			    
			 2011   
			 January 127,340 63,510 
			 February 141,100 70,310 
			 March 161,290 81,610 
			 April 114,470 60,620 
			 Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database 
		
	
	Employment and support allowance (ESA)
	Between 1 June 2010 and 31 May 2011, there were 11,530 sanctions imposed on ESA claimants in the Work-Related Activity Group (WRAG). The following table shows this number of ESA WRAG sanctions by the month the sanction was imposed:
	
		
			 Year/  Month sanction was imposed Number of sanctions 
			 2010  
			 June 1,440 
			 July 1,150 
			 August 920 
			 September 830 
			 October 960 
			 November 930 
			 December 820 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 960 
			 February 960 
			 March 1,250 
			 April 610 
			 May 710 
			 Total 11,530 
			 Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, totals may not sum due to rounding. Source: DWP ESA WRAG sanctions database 
		
	
	Income support (IS)
	Between 1 June 2010 and 31 March 2011, there were 62,860 sanctions imposed on lone parents claiming IS. The following table shows this number of IS lone parent sanctions by the month the sanction was imposed:
	
		
			 Year/  Month of sanction Number of sanctions imposed 
			 2010  
			 June 7,390 
			 July 6,860 
			 August 6,940 
			 September 6,080 
			 October 6,550 
			 November 5,890 
			 December 4,940 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 6,730 
			 February 5,540 
			 March 5,960 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 62,860 
			 Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DWP Income Support Lone Parent Regime database

Social Security Benefits: Publicity

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2011, Official Report, column 1091W, on social security benefits, how much funding was spent on take-up campaigns for each benefit in each of the last five years; and how much he plans to spend on campaigns for each benefit in the next three years.

Chris Grayling: The following figures are for actual spend and refer to media spend, design, PR, production and any other associated costs (e.g. outbound telephony for specific campaigns) and are exclusive of VAT.
	We are not able to provide figures for spend on campaigns for each benefit in the next three years as no data are available as yet on future spend.
	
		
			 Pension credit 
			  Cost (£ million) 
			 2006-07 2.4 
			 2007-08 1.5 
			 2008-09 0.87 
			 2009-10 1.19 
			 Total 5.96 
		
	
	
		
			 Winter fuel payments 
			  Cost (£ million) 
			 2006-07 0.47 
			 2007-08 0.32 
			 2008-09 0.28 
			 2009-10 0.23 
			 Total 1.3

Unemployment: Dudley

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions his Department has had with its partner agencies on the rate of (a) long-term, (b) youth and (c) overall unemployment in Dudley borough; and what steps he is taking to reduce the rates.

Chris Grayling: The rate of unemployment, including youth and long-term unemployment, is still far too high and the Government are taking significant steps to reduce it. In particular we are supporting young people into work by investing in flexible, personalised employment support, apprenticeships, work experience and training. I am undertaking discussions with a wide range of agencies, work programme providers and partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors at both local and national level to help ensure that young people are able to take advantage of these opportunities.
	Jobcentre Plus in Dudley has been working closely with colleges and providers to support the Dudley borough in a variety of areas such as jobs, training, apprenticeships and work experience.
	The Jobcentre Plus employment manager for Dudley borough has developed close working relationships with both Dudley and Stourbridge colleges as well as a local provider—Mercury Training—using local labour market information to establish the employer/customer supply and demand data to then identify suitable provision.
	Specific examples of Jobcentre Plus current and planned activity across the Dudley borough are as follows:
	Developed a Hospitality Academy with Stourbridge college which has resulted in positive job outcomes with the Copthorne Hotel through pre-employment training and work experience.
	Working with Mercury Training to identify security training provision and employment opportunities for claimants within the Dudley borough.
	An event is planned for jobseekers seeking employment in the care sector on the 29 November 2011. This event has been developed through local partnership work with colleges across the Black Country through the Care to Make a Difference programme.
	A joint retail jobs event was recently held at the Merry Hill Centre through work between the Jobcentre, Westfield Retail Academy, local colleges and providers in supporting customers in recruitment processes for seasonal vacancies, in particular supporting jobseekers with the online application process.
	Stourbridge College has been successful in a recent Flexible Support Funding bid to deliver HGV training to 100 customers within the Dudley borough.
	The Jobcentre has recently held an event in the borough specifically for customers aged over 50 to maximise on recruitment and training opportunities.
	Jobcentre Plus also is represented locally at:
	Dudley Employment and Skills Group which looks at how to improve the local economy and tackle unemployment. All three work programme providers also send a representative to the group.
	Dudley Means Business Group where we provide regular updates on what is being done to combat unemployment in the borough.
	A number of other Dudley borough partnerships working groups such as Neighbourhood Employment and Skills groups and the NEETS Steering Group.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the inclusion of passported benefits in universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Universal credit provides a new single system of means-tested support for working-age people who are in or out of work. As a result, some existing means-tested benefits will no longer be needed. The Government recognise the importance of passported benefits such as free school meals and free prescriptions to claimants and to their decisions about moving into work. The Government aim to ensure that passported benefits are targeted to people that require them most.
	Defining entitlement to certain passported benefits is the responsibility of other Government Departments and devolved Administrations. Policies and provision vary by country and the value of benefits can also vary by country or local authority.
	The Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) has been commissioned to carry out an independent review on passported benefits on behalf of the Government. This review is still taking place and the Committee has been asked to report by the end of January 2012. The Department will publish the final report alongside our response in April.

UNUM Ltd

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions (a) he and (b) his Department has had with representatives of UNUM Ltd since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: In January 2011 representatives from Unum approached both the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), and the Minister for Welfare Reform, my noble Friend Lord Freud, to discuss a research paper. Neither Minister met with Unum representatives, but did forward the details of departmental officials involved in the independent review of sickness absence in Great Britain. Following this, on 14 February 2011 representatives of UNUM met with these officials.
	In addition, on 18 October 2010 a UNUM representative—as part of a delegation from UK Rehabilitation Council—met with the Minister for Welfare Reform and Department for Work and Pensions officials. A full list of ministerial meetings with external organisations is available at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ministers-meetings-overseas.shtml
	An extensive search of records has not found any further discussions between the Department's officials and representatives of Unum. However, it should be noted that there are approximately 100,000 officials within the Department and it would not be possible, except at disproportionate cost, to ask each of them whether they have engaged in any such discussions.

Work Capability Assessment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2011, Official Report, column 109W, on work capability assessment, what assessment his Department has made of the employability of people with a terminal illness who have a prognosis of over six months.

Chris Grayling: The Department has not made any assessment of the employability of people who have a terminal illness and a prognosis of over six months. However, if a claimant is not awarded ESA on the grounds of terminal illness they may still be placed in the support group for other reasons such as the treatment they are receiving or as a result of their disabling symptoms. In addition, if they do not meet any of the support group criteria they may still be placed in the work related activity group depending on the impact of their condition. All cases are reviewed after an appropriate period and would be placed in the support group if their condition has deteriorated to a point where they fulfil the criteria.

Work Programme

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which voluntary and third sector organisations expressed an interest in signing Work programme contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The DWP received Prime Contractor bids from 30 organisations, five of which were from the voluntary/third sector. Work programme contracts were awarded to two organisations from the voluntary/third sector (Careers Development Group and Rehab).
	The DWP has published the Work programme contracts on the Contracts Finder website.
	Contract details can be accessed through the following website:
	http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/?site=1000&lang-en

Work Programme

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many voluntary and third sector organisations are in the supply chain of Work programme provider Maximus; how many referrals from Maximus such organisations have received (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the total number of referrals to its supply chain; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many voluntary and third sector organisations are in the supply chain of Work programme provider (a) Avanta and (b) G4S; how many referrals from those providers such organisations have received (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of the total number of referrals to their supply chain; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many voluntary and third sector organisations are in the supply chain of Work programme provider Ingeus; how many referrals from Ingeus such organisations have received (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the total number of referrals to its supply chain; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many voluntary and third sector organisations are in the supply chain of Work programme provider Seetec; how many referrals from Seetec such organisations have received (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the total number of referrals to its supply chain; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  how many voluntary and third sector organisations are in the supply chain of Work programme provider A4E; how many referrals from A4E such organisations have received (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the total number of referrals to its supply chain; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: A total of 699 supply chain places are occupied by voluntary and community sector organisations. This represents a total of 423 different voluntary and community sector organisations in tiers 1 and 2. DWP does not hold an exact numbers of voluntary and community sector subcontractors broken down by prime provider across the full supply chain as figures are liable to change.
	The Department intends to publish official statistics on referrals to the Work programme from spring 2012 and on job outcomes from autumn 2012. This is in line with guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure published statistics meet the required high quality standards.

CABINET OFFICE

Bell Pottinger Group

John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) political advisers in his Department have met representatives of (i) Bell Pottinger Group or (ii) each of its subsidiaries in the last five years; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what was discussed.

Francis Maude: Details of Cabinet Office Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and can be accessed on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations
	and
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-permanent-secretaries%E2%80%99-meetings-external-organisations
	Further detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Civil Contingencies Secretariat: Finance

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the budget was for the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in each year since 2005; and what the budget will be during the comprehensive spending review period.

Francis Maude: The budget for the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) for each financial year between 2008-09 and 2011-12 was/is:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2008-09 9,641,750 
			 2009-10 9,646,750 
			 2010-11 9,615,758 
			 2011-12 10,514,000 
		
	
	This includes budgetary provision for resilient telecommunications programmes.
	In the time available it has only been possible to produce information for 2008-09 onwards. I will write to the hon. Member when the additional information for the earlier years is available.
	The Cabinet Office has not yet finalised unit budgets for future financial years.

Civil Servants: Secondment

Martin Horwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many UK nationals on secondment from each Government department were working in an EU (a) institution and (b) agency (i) in each of the last 20 years and (ii) on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: holding answer 7 November 2011
	I have been asked to reply.
	On 1 November 2011, the British Government had 88 officials seconded to the EU institutions and seven seconded to EU agencies.
	These figures do not include secondments to the European External Action Service.
	
		
			  Institutions Agency 
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office 5 — 
			 Joint International Unit 1 — 
			 Treasury 6 — 
			 Financial Services Authority 5 — 
			 Intellectual Property Office 4 1 
			 Department for International Development 23 — 
			 Department for Transport 2 — 
			 Revenue and Customs 3 — 
			 Home Office 2 — 
			 Food Standards Agency 2 — 
			 Ministry of Justice 2 — 
			 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 6 1 
			 Treasury Solicitors 1 — 
			 Scottish Environment Protection Agency 3 1 
			 Ministry of Defence 2 — 
			 Dept for Work and Pensions 4 — 
			 Department of Environment of Northern Island — 1 
			 Maritime Fisheries Agency 1 — 
			 Ofcom 1 — 
			 Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment Northern Ireland 1 — 
			 Civil Aviation Authority 2 — 
			 Natural England 1 — 
			 Office of Fair Trading 1 — 
			 JNCC/DEFRA 1 — 
			 Environment Agency 2 1 
			 Marine Management Organisation — 1 
			 Welsh Assembly Government 3 — 
			 Department of Health 1 — 
			 Forestry Commission Scotland 1 — 
			 Health and Safety Executive — 1 
			 Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland 2 — 
		
	
	We are unable to provide a breakdown of the number of secondments for each of the last 20 years without incurring disproportionate cost as the information is not held in the form requested.

Co-operatives

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps the Government plans to take to promote the achievements of co-operative organisations during the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives in 2012.

Francis Maude: I appointed the Mutuals Taskforce, chaired by Julian Le Grand, earlier in the year, with representatives from organisations in the field, including Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Cooperatives UK.
	The taskforce has recently confirmed it will take on the role of the UK national forum for the International Year of Co-operatives, with Cooperatives UK leading the taskforce's work in this area. Cabinet Office will work closely with the taskforce and with Cooperatives UK to develop and take full advantage of opportunities to celebrate the achievements of co-operative organisation during the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives.

Defence: Procurement

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he plans to lift the temporary exemption from publication for Ministry of Defence contracts associated with war like stores.

Francis Maude: There are no immediate plans to lift the temporary exemption from publication for Ministry of Defence contracts associated with war like stores.
	However, Cabinet Office officials are exploring with the Ministry of Defence ways in which more contract information can be made transparent.

Departmental Training

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many external training courses staff of (a) his Department, (b) 10 Downing street and (c) the office of the Deputy Prime Minister attended in the last 12 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of each course.

Francis Maude: Both the Prime Minister's Office and the Deputy Prime Minister's Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	298 Cabinet Office staff have attended external training courses in the 12 months prior to 1 October 2011. The total cost of the courses attended is estimated to be £1,184,636. To provide the cost of individual courses would exceed the cost threshold.

Domestic Horizon Scanning Committee

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on what dates the Domestic Horizon Scanning Committee has met since May 2010; and who chaired each meeting.

Francis Maude: The Domestic Horizon Scanning Committee has met regularly every quarter since May 2010. Each meeting was chaired by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office.

Emergencies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on what date he expects the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies 2011 to be published.

Francis Maude: I expect an updated National Risk Register to be published by the end of January 2012.

Emergencies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent staff work on the (a) central response, (b) local response and (c) resilient telecommunications workstreams of the Capabilities Programme; and what the staffing level was in each of the last 10 quarters;
	(2)  how many full-time equivalent staff work on (a) evacuation and shelter, (b) warning and informing the public, (c) recovery and (d) community resilience workstreams of the Capabilities Programme; and what the staffing level was in each of the last 10 quarters.

Francis Maude: Varying numbers of staff from a number of Government Departments, agencies and other organisations concerned with emergency response have worked on these workstreams over the years; information on the overall numbers that are or have been involved in each workstream is not held. But those in my Department currently involved as part of their duties are:
	(a) Central response: two full-time equivalents (FTEs).
	(b) Local response: three FTEs.
	(c) Resilient telecoms: eight FTEs.
	(d) Evacuation and shelter: one FTE.
	(e) Warning and informing the public: one FTE.
	(f) Community resilience and recovery: four FTEs.
	Central coordination of the workstreams is carried out as part of their duties by a team currently numbering three FTEs.

Emergencies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what the budget was for the (a) central response, (b) local response and (c) resilient telecommunications workstreams of the Capabilities programme in each year since 2005; and what the budget will be during the comprehensive spending review period;
	(2)  what the budget was for the (a) evacuation and shelter, (b) warning and informing the public, (c) recovery and (d) community resilience workstreams of the Capabilities programme in each year since 2005; and what the budget will be during the comprehensive spending review period.

Francis Maude: Work on these workstreams within the Cabinet Office has been carried out within the administrative budget for work on national security. None of the workstreams has had a specific budgetary allocation with the exception of the resilient telecommunications programme, whose budget for the programme from 2007-08 to 2010-11 was:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2007-08 2,869,000 
			 2008-09 6,566,535 
			 2009-10 4,362,125 
			 2010-11 4,704,121 
		
	
	Initial provision of £5.5million was made for the resilient telecommunications programme for the current financial year. The Cabinet Office has not yet finalised provision for the programme for future financial years.

Emergencies: Cabinet Committees

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how often the Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development: Sub-committee on Protective Security and Resilience officials has met since May 2010; and what the membership is of the committee;
	(2)  on what dates the Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development: Sub-committee on Protective Security and Resilience has met since May 2010; and what the membership is of the Committee; [79600 ]
	(3)  which special advisers have attended the Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development: Sub-committee on Protective Security and Resilience since May 2010; and on what dates.

Francis Maude: The Ministerial Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development: Sub-committee on Protective Security and Resilience, was disestablished in May 2010.
	The current list of Cabinet Committees is available at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-committees-system-and-list-cabinet-committees

Emergencies: Training

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) officials, (b) special advisers and (c) Ministers have received Central Government Emergency Response Training since May 2010.

Francis Maude: 179 officials from Government Departments have attended Central Government Emergency Response Training since May 2010. The Cabinet Office provides additional briefings on an ad hoc basis as required. Ministers and special advisors receive tailored one-to-one briefing as appropriate in addition to briefing as part of their ministerial induction. The number of such sessions is not recorded centrally.

Emergencies: Training

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many of the officials in the Civil Contingencies Secretariat have not received Central Government Emergency Response Training.

Francis Maude: Over 90% of staff in the Civil Contingencies Secretariat have received Central Government Emergency Response Training. All new staff joining CCS undertake CGERT training as part of their induction process.

Emergencies: Training

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many officials in Government Departments have received Central Government Emergency Response Training.

Francis Maude: To date, 968 officials from Government Departments have attended Central Government Emergency Response Training.

Emergencies: Training

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many permanent secretaries in each Government department have received Central Government Emergency Response Training.

Francis Maude: Permanent secretaries are briefed by the Cabinet Office on central Government emergency response arrangements, at their request or in the run up to participating in national exercises. The number of such sessions is not recorded centrally.

Government Departments: Databases

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress he is making on creating a right to data; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The Government are pursuing amendments to the Freedom of Information Act in the Protection of Freedoms Bill. The amendments will place a new requirement on public authorities to make datasets available for re-use, where reasonably practicable, in a re-usable format when releasing them in response to requests or through publication schemes. These changes to the Freedom of Information Act support the Government's commitment to deliver an enhanced right to data.
	The Cabinet Office's consultation “Making Open Data Real” which closed last month, sought views on how the Government can further enhance the right to data to increase transparency for a wider range of bodies than those covered by the Freedom of Information Act and other legislation. Cabinet Office is analyzing the responses received over the coming weeks to inform the forthcoming White Paper due early next year.
	The Freedom of Information Act will also be subject to post-legislative scrutiny to see how it is working in practice. Further policy in this area will be developed in light of the evidence drawn from both sets of work.

Government Departments: JCB

John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what contracts the Government has awarded to (a) JCB and (b) associates of JCB since May 2010.

Francis Maude: Since January 2011, as part of the Government's programme to increase transparency, central Government Departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder information on the contracts they award. The following table summarises contracts that are listed on Contracts Finder. Further information is held by individual Departments.
	
		
			 Supplier Procuring authority Contract 
			 BC Plant JCB Finance and Personnel, Northern Ireland Mechanical shovels, excavators and shovel loaders, and mining machinery 
			 Scot JCB Ltd Tayside Procurement Consortium Grounds-maintenance equipment 
			 JCB Finance Ltd Bridgend county borough council Financial leasing services 
			 Greenshields JCB Ltd Braintree district council Grounds-maintenance equipment 
			 Scot JCB Ltd West Lothian council Lawn mowers 
			 Scot JCB Ltd East Ayrshire council Motor vehicles

Government Departments: Procurement

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he plans to take steps to support small and medium-sized enterprises competing against larger corporations for Government contracts.

Francis Maude: The Government recognise the vital role that small firms have to play in helping it to achieve the best possible value for money when it buys goods and services, and is taking forward a series of measures to make it easier for SMEs to compete on a level playing field for Government contracts.
	These measures include making greater use of the “open” procedure to avoid excluding suppliers unnecessarily; seeking to removing pre-qualification questionnaires from contracts below the £100,000 threshold for goods and services; greater transparency, for example through ‘Contracts Finder’ to make opportunities easier to find (which is obviously beneficial to smaller local businesses that may have fewer resources to devote to looking for opportunities); simplifying the public procurement process; making more use of outcome-based specifications; breaking procurements into smaller lots; greater use of pre-market engagement; and encouraging different contracting models, such as consortia.
	Further information can be found on the Cabinet Office website:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/government-opens-contracts-small-business

Major Projects Authority

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions the Major Projects Authority has met; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: I announced the creation of the Major Projects Authority (MPA) in February 2011, in order to significantly improve the success rate of major projects across central Government.
	The MPA is a central authority staffed by Cabinet Office officials working in partnership with HM Treasury with a clear, enforceable mandate from the Prime Minister for the oversight and direction of major projects funded and delivered by central Government. It has been operational since 1 April 2011.
	Further details are available on the Cabinet Office website:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/major-projects-authority
	The MPA Board, chaired by the Chief Operating Officer of the Efficiency and Reform Group, meets every two months to consider key issues of policy and operational practice.

Public Sector Transparency Board

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions the Public Sector Transparency Board has met; on what dates; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The Public Sector Transparency Board has met on 11 occasions, on the following dates:
	24 June 2010
	15 September 2010
	19 November 2010
	11 January 2011
	8 February 2011
	2 March 2011
	19 May 2011
	8 June 2011
	19 July 2011
	6 September 2011
	11 October 2011.

Public Sector: Pensions

Katy Clark: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will ensure that a gender equality impact assessment is carried out for the reform proposals being made in relation to each public sector pension scheme.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
	As agreed with the trade unions, the Government will ensure that there is a full equality impact assessment before changes to public service pensions are implemented.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Arts: Higher Education

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications for art and design undergraduate courses were made in each of the last five years; what proportion of all applications this represented in each such year; and whether he has made an estimate of the number of applications for such courses in the 2012-13 academic year.

David Willetts: holding answer 7 November 2011
	I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the answer I gave on 3 November 2011, Official Report, columns 758-62W.

Business: Entry Clearances

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 September 2011, Official Report, column 1343W, on business: entry clearances, which business sectors have made representations on the immigration cap.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has ongoing contact with business representatives from across all sectors on a range of issues including migration.
	In addition, the Migration Advisory Committee has recently put out a call for evidence on the review of the Tier 2 limit and associated policies. Representations on the immigration cap have been received from the following sectors: IT, manufacturing, multi-sector global.

Business: Regulation

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which external consultants are providing services to his Department in connection with the Red Tape Challenge; and what the (a) duration and (b) cost is of the services provided by each consultant.

Mark Prisk: No external consultants are providing services to the Department in connection to the Red Tape Challenge.

Business: Regulation

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which (a) organisations and (b) individuals have made the largest number of submissions to the Red Tape Challenge to date.

Mark Prisk: We are unable to provide data on submissions to the Red Tape Challenge as our website privacy policy clearly states that all personal information submitted to our public comment pages, and our private inbox, will not be disclosed except for the conditions listed. Total number of comments on the Red Tape Challenge website as at 8 November 2011 was 25,967.

Conditions of Employment

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which (a) public and (b) private sector organisations he has met to discuss his Department's review of (i) employment law and (ii) workplace rights compliance and enforcement arrangements since May 2010.

Edward Davey: This Department is leading the cross-Government employment law review. All Departments involved in the review are engaging with relevant stakeholders on their specific areas of policy. This includes individual businesses as well as representative bodies.
	The first stage of the workplace rights compliance and enforcement review was carried out internally and considered the existing evidence on the overall effectiveness of the enforcement architecture. As I outlined in my ministerial statement of 12 October 2011, Official Report, columns 29-30WS, this first stage found significant fragmentation within the enforcement landscape as a whole largely as a consequence of the underpinning regulations, which need to be considered as part of the Red Tape Challenge on employment law.
	Therefore, both reviews are closely linked with the Red Tape Challenge process where Government have sought input from the widest possible range of stakeholders through their website, and a number of specific discussion workshops and focus groups on particular areas of policy.
	It is not Government policy to give details of individual meetings undertaken as part of the policy development process.

Conditions of Employment

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2010, Official Report, column 791W, on conditions of employment, what representations he has received relating to the Government's review of arrangements for workplace rights compliance and enforcement;
	(2)  what progress he has made on the review of Government workplace rights compliance and enforcement arrangements;
	(3)  when he expects to publish a statement of findings from the review of Government workplace rights compliance and enforcement arrangements;
	(4)  whether he plans to issue a consultation on the findings from the review of Government workplace rights compliance and enforcement arrangements;
	(5)  which organisations Ministers and officials in his Department have met as part of the review of Government workplace rights compliance and enforcement arrangements.

Edward Davey: Initial findings of the Workplace Rights Compliance and Enforcement Review were outlined in my ministerial statement of 12 October 2011, Official Report, column 29WS. The first stage of the review was carried out internally and considered the existing evidence on the overall effectiveness of the enforcement architecture. It found significant fragmentation within the enforcement landscape as a whole, largely as a consequence of the underpinning regulations. Therefore, it has been essential for us to first consider the regulations as part of the Red Tape Challenge Spotlight on Employment Law, before beginning to develop proposals further.
	The Spotlight on Employment Law launched on 3 October 2012 and has involved systematic consultation of businesses, unions and civil society. These groups were also invited to respond to a discussion paper on employment law strategy which accompanied the challenge and included discussion points on the enforcement arrangements. We received a number of considered responses from businesses, unions and some members of the public to this paper.
	Following the outcomes of the Red Tape Challenge, we plan to make further announcements of the Workplace Rights Compliance and Enforcement Review in spring 2012. There will be a full consultation on any recommendations that emerge from the review.
	It is not Government policy to give details of individual meetings undertaken as part of the policy development process.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many procurement contracts his Department has awarded to small businesses since May 2010.

Edward Davey: Information on the Department's procurement spend level with small businesses since May 2010 will be available in December and I will write to my hon. Friend with the information and place a copy of my letter and the data in the Libraries of the House.
	Information on the number of procurement contracts awarded could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Directors: Disqualification

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2011, Official Report, column 758W, on directors' disqualification, what monetary benefit to the economy the Insolvency Service has estimated accrues for each disqualified director.

Edward Davey: For every company director that the Insolvency Service disqualifies, there is an estimated net benefit to the market of £88,000 (in terms of potential economic damage that they would otherwise cause). For 2009/10 the total potential savings to creditors from disqualifying unfit directors is estimated at £143.2 million.

Employment: Waste Management

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the potential (a) turnover, (b) level of employment and (c) level of exports attributable to the waste services sector in each year to 2020.

Mark Prisk: HM Government have made no estimates regarding projected turnover, employment or exports in the waste services sector.
	However, independent research commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills estimated the turnover, exports, number of jobs and forecast growth of the waste management sub-sector and the recovery and recycling sub-sector. The waste management sub-sector includes activities such as construction and operation of waste treatment facilities and the recovery and recycling sub-sector includes activities such as waste collection. Estimates include activity across the supply chain. The most recent data reports on the 2009-10 financial year. The following tables provide 2009-10 turnover, employment and export estimates and growth forecasts.
	
		
			 Sales 
			 £ million 
			 Sub-sector 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			 Waste management 4,824 4,945 5,071 
			 Recovery and recycling 6,519 6,724 6,936 
			 Source: K-Matrix 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Employment 
			 Sub-sector 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			 Waste management 43,533 43,834 43,571 
			 Recovery and recycling 54,598 54,440 54,629 
			 Source: K-Matrix 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Exports 
			 £ million 
			 Sub-sector 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			 Waste management 450 473 510 
			 Recovery and recycling 533 538 558 
			 Source: K-Matrix 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Growth estimates  (1) 
			 Sub-sector Waste   m  anagement Recovery and   r  ecycling 
			 Growth percentage   
			 2010/11 2.8 3.4 
			 2011/12 2.8 3.6 
			 2012/13 3 3.8 
			 2013/14 3 4 
			 2014/15 3.2 4.2 
			 2015/16 3.3 4.3 
			 (1) The growth forecasts provided are based on aggregated forecasts for turnover. Source: K-Matrix 2011

Environment Protection

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of potential trends in employment in the environmental goods and services sector in each year to 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: HM Government have made no forecasts of the potential trends in employment in the environmental goods and services sector.
	However, independent research commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills estimated the number of jobs and forecast growth in the low carbon environmental goods and services sector including jobs across the supply chain. Included within this sector is the environmental sub-sector. The most recent data reports on the 2009/10 financial year. The following tables show employment and growth forecasts in the low carbon and environmental goods and services sector as a whole and also in the environmental sub-sector between 2007/08 and 2009/10.
	
		
			 Total employment 
			 UK LCEGS Number 
			 2007/08 908,107 
			 2008/09 909,782 
			 2009/10 914,273 
			 Source: K-Matrix 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Growth forecasts 
			 UK LCEGS Percentage  (1) 
			 2010/11 4.8 
			 2011/12 5 
			 2012/13 5.1 
			 2013/14 5.3 
			 2014/15 5.4 
			 2015/16 5.6 
			 (1) The growth forecasts provided are based on aggregated forecasts for turnover. Source: K-Matrix 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Total employment 
			 UK LCEGS sub-sector Number 
			 2007/08 197,290 
			 2008/09 197,913 
			 2009/10 197,967 
			 Source: K-Matrix 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Growth forecasts 
			 UK LCEGS sub-sector Percentage  (1) 
			 2010/11 2.9 
			 2011/12 3 
			 2012/13 3.1 
			 2013/14 3.2 
			 2014/15 3.3 
			 2015/16 3.4 
			 (1) The growth forecasts provided are based on aggregated forecasts for turnover. Source: K-Matrix 2011

Environment Protection

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people are currently employed in the environmental goods and services sector; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: According to independent research published by K-Matrix and commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, employment in the low carbon and environmental goods and services sector in 2009/10 was estimated at 914,273.
	Broken down in to sub-sectors, employment in the environmental sub-sector is estimated at 197,967; employment in the low carbon sub-sector is estimated at 449,091; employment in the renewable energy sub-sector is estimated at 267,215.

Environment Protection

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people are employed in the low-carbon and environmental goods and services sector.

Mark Prisk: According to independent research published by K-Matrix and commissioned by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, employment in the low carbon and environmental goods and services sector in 2009/10 was estimated at 914,273. This estimate includes jobs across the supply chain.

Environment Protection

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings of the Green Economy Council he has attended since his appointment.

Mark Prisk: The Green Economy Council has met on two previous occasions. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), attended the meetings on 16 February and 7 June 2011 and will attend the next meeting on 16 November.

Environment Protection

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the (a) turnover, (b) level of employment and (c) level of exports attributable to the contaminated land remediation sector in each year to 2020.

Mark Prisk: HM Government have made no estimates regarding projected turnover, employment or exports in the contaminated land remediation sector.
	Independent research commissioned by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills estimated the turnover, exports, number of jobs and forecast growth of the contaminated land reclamation and remediation sub-sector. Estimates include activity across the supply chain. The most recent data reports on the 2009/10 financial year. The following tables provide 2009/10 turnover, employment and export estimates and growth forecasts.
	
		
			 Sales 
			 £ million 
			  2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			 Contaminated land reclamation and remediation 914 938 963 
			 Source: K-Matrix 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Employment 
			  2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			 Contaminated land reclamation and remediation 8,202 8,211 8,233 
			 Source: K-Matrix 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Exports 
			 £ million 
			  2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			 Contaminated land reclamation and remediation 92 95 87 
			 Source: K-Matrix 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Growth forecasts  (1) 
			 Growth percentage 
			  Contaminated land reclamation and remediation 
			 2010/11 2.8 
			 2011/12 2.9 
			 2012/13 3.0 
			 2013/14 3.1 
			 2014/15 3.2 
			 2015/16 3.2 
			 (1) Growth forecasts provided are based on aggregated forecasts for turnover. Source: K-Matrix 2011

Government Departments: Research

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for (a) Transport, (b) Justice, (c) International Development, (d) Health and (e) Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on departmental research and development budgets.

Edward Davey: None. Decisions on Departments' research and development budgets are for their Secretaries of State.

Green Construction Board

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the terms of reference are of the Green Construction Board.

Mark Prisk: Terms of reference will be published shortly on the BIS website following consultation with Green Construction Board members.

Growing Places Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions Ministers in his Department have had with their counterparts in the Department for Communities and Local Government on the Growing Places Fund; and on what dates.

Mark Prisk: Ministerial colleagues have many meetings with their departmental counterparts and discuss numerous issues. In addition discussions between the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and other Government Departments have been undertaken by officials based upon the direction of Ministers.

Growing Places Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what involvement his Department will have through its local offices network in the approval of projects put forward under the Government's Growing Places Fund.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills local officials will not be involved in the approval of Growing Places Fund projects. The fund will be allocated as unringfenced grants and therefore, recipients will have the flexibility to allocate in line with local priorities. Local enterprise partnerships will be asked to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire and if they meet the requirements they will qualify for funding.

Higher Education: Teachers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of higher education professors in each subject area were (a) male and (b) female in each of the last three years.

David Willetts: holding answer 3 November 2011
	The numbers and proportions of professors at UK higher education institutions in each cost centre (includes subject areas) who were male and female are shown in the table for the academic years 2008/09 and 2009/10.
	Due to a change in the definition of the professorial role comparable information for earlier years is not available. From 2008/09 onwards the professor role indicates whether the contract of employment confers the title of professor to the holder, regardless of whether an institution's local grade structure contains a professor grade. Prior to 2008/09 the professor grade included heads of department, professors, former Universities Authoritative Panel scale researchers (grade IV), clinical professors and those recorded as professors on a locally-determined scale. The differences in the definition of professor role and professor grade means that these two categories are not comparable.
	
		
			 Academic professorial staff  (1)   by cost centre and gender  —  UK higher education institutions,   a  cademic years 2008/09 and 2009/10 
			  2008/09 2009/10 
			     %    % 
			 Cost centre Female Male Total Female Male Female Male Total Female Male 
			 Science, Engineering and Technology (SET)(2) Departments           
			 Agriculture and forestry 5 50 50 (3)— (3)— 0 55 60 3.5 96.5 
			 Anatomy and physiology 30 125 155 20.1 79.9 30 125 160 20.3 79.7 
			 Archaeology 5 85 90 7.6 92.4 5 80 85 8.7 91.3 
			 Architecture, built environment and planning 30 255 285 11.0 89.0 40 275 310 12.3 87.7 
			 Biosciences 180 1,040 1,220 14.9 85.1 185 1,030 1,220 15.3 84.7 
			 Chemical engineering 15 115 125 10.6 89.4 15 115 130 11.2 88.8 
			 Chemistry 30 430 460 6.3 93.7 35 420 450 7.3 92.7 
			 Civil engineering 5 195 200 3.3 96.7 5 190 195 3.3 96.7 
			 Clinical dentistry 20 125 150 13.9 86.1 20 125 145 14.7 85.3 
			 Clinical medicine 450 1,860 2,310 19.5 80.5 470 1,830 2,300 20.4 79.6 
			 Earth, marine and environmental sciences 35 355 390 8.8 91.2 40 380 420 9.3 90.7 
			 Electrical, electronic and computer engineering 25 450 475 4.8 95.2 25 440 465 5.5 94.5 
			 General engineering 20 245 270 7.6 92.4 25 270 290 8.0 92.0 
			 Geography 50 270 325 15.8 84.2 50 260 305 15.8 84.2 
			 IT and systems sciences, computer software engineering 65 495 560 11.5 88.5 65 490 555 11.6 88.4 
			 Mathematics 40 680 720 5.6 94.4 45 665 710 6.1 93.9 
			 Mechanical, aero and production engineering 25 405 430 5.7 94.3 25 415 440 5.2 94.8 
			 Mineral, metallurgy and materials engineering 10 130 140 7.6 92.4 15 130 145 10.5 89.5 
			 Nursing and paramedical studies 185 120 310 60.7 39.3 180 125 305 59.6 40.4 
			 Pharmacy and pharmacology 45 170 210 20.4 79.6 45 150 195 22.9 77.1 
			 Physics 35 600 635 5.8 94.2 35 615 650 5.5 94.5 
			 Psychology and behavioural sciences 135 390 525 25.8 74.2 155 390 545 28.7 71.3 
			 Veterinary science 30 125 155 18.9 81.1 25 110 135 19.6 80.4 
			 Total SET 1,470 8,710 10,180 14.5 85.5 1,535 8,675 10,210 15.1 84.9 
			            
			 Non-SET Departments           
			 Business and management studies 240 1,170 1,410 17.0 83.0 240 1,140 1,375 17.2 82.8 
			 Catering and hospitality management 0 20 25 (3)— (3)— 0 25 30 (3)— (3)— 
			 Central administration and services 60 190 250 24.9 75.1 70 200 270 25.3 74.7 
			 Continuing education 10 15 20 (3)— (3)— 5 10 15 (3)— (3)— 
			 Design and creative arts 130 375 510 25.8 74.2 130 370 505 26.2 73.8 
			 Education 210 305 515 40.8 59.2 205 290 495 41.5 58.5 
			 Health and community studies 110 135 245 44.9 55.1 100 150 255 40.2 59.8 
			 Humanities and language based studies 380 1,210 1,590 23.9 76.1 370 1,195 1,565 23.8 76.2 
			 Media studies 45 115 160 28.6 71.4 50 115 165 30.3 69.7 
			 Modern languages 90 230 320 28.0 72.0 95 215 310 30.9 69.1 
			 Residences and catering 0 0 0 (3)— (3)— 0 0 0 (3)— (3)— 
			 Social studies 485 1,660 2,145 22.6 77.4 480 1,560 2,040 23.6 76.4 
			 Sports science and leisure studies 20 85 100 17.7 82.3 15 75 90 18.1 81.9 
			 Staff and student facilities 5 5 10 (3)— (3)— 5 5 5 (3)— (3)— 
			 Total academic services 15 40 55 28.1 71.9 15 30 45 (3)— (3)— 
			 Total Non-SET 1,800 5,555 7,355 24.5 75.5 1,785 5,380 7,165 24.9 75.1 
		
	
	
		
			            
			 Total 3,270 14,265 17,535 18.7 81.3 3,320 14,055 17,375 19.1 80.9 
			 (1) Excludes atypical staff: atypical staff are those members of staff whose employment contracts involve working arrangements that are not permanent, involve complex employment relationships and/or involve work away from the supervision of the normal work provider.  (2) SET Departments listed in the table are consistent with Equality Challenge Unit definitions.  (3 )Represents a percentage calculated on a population of 52 or fewer individuals.  Notes:  In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5, so components may not sum to totals. Percentages are not subject to rounding.  Source: HESA Staff Record 2008/09, 2009/10.

Pollution Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the potential (a) turnover, (b) level of employment and (c) level of exports attributable to the air pollution control sector in each year to 2020.

Mark Prisk: HM Government have made no estimates regarding projected turnover, employment or exports in the air pollution control sector.
	However, independent research commissioned by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills estimated the turnover, exports, number of jobs and forecast growth of the air pollution sub-sector which includes activities such as industrial emission control and the environmental monitoring, instrumentation and analysis sub-sector which includes activities such as monitoring industrial emissions. Estimates include activity across the supply chain. The most recent data reports on the 2009/10 financial year. The following tables provide 2009/10 estimates for turnover, employment, export and growth forecasts.
	
		
			 Total Sales 
			 £ million 
			 Level 2 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			 Air Pollution 960 978 997 
			 Environmental Monitoring, Instrumentation and Analysis 150 155 160 
			 Source  : K-Matrix 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Total Employment 
			  2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			 Air Pollution 9,160 9,157 9,186 
			 Environmental Monitoring, Instrumentation and Analysis 1,458 1,449 1,449 
			 Source: K-Matrix 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Exports 
			 £ million 
			  2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			 Air Pollution 151 161 161 
			 Environmental Monitoring, Instrumentation and Analysis 20 20 19 
			 Source: K-Matrix 2011 
		
	
	
		
			 Growth Forecasts  (1) 
			 Growth percentage 
			  Air Pollution Environmental Monitoring, Instrumentation and Analysis 
			 2010/11 2.1 3.3 
			 2011/12 2.1 3.5 
			 2012/13 2.2 3.6 
			 2013/14 2.2 3.8 
			 2014/15 2.3 3.8 
			 2015/16 2.4 4 
			 (1) The growth forecasts provided are based on aggregated forecasts for turnover. Source: K-Matrix 2011

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any of the successful bids for the second round of the Regional Growth Fund were not part of the Independent Advisory Group's original recommendations.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 7 November 2011
	The Independent Advisory Panel's job is to advise Ministers on which bids to the Regional Growth Fund to support. Final decisions on which bids to support rest with the Ministerial Group chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bids received to the second round of the Regional Growth Fund from each Government office region were not successful.

Mark Prisk: The following table gives a regional breakdown of unsuccessful bids received to the second round of the Regional Growth Fund.
	
		
			  Number 
			 North-west 101 
			 North-east 80 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 104 
			 West midlands 83 
			 East midlands 88 
			 London, south-east and east of England 97 
			 South-west 50 
			 Other bids—national 71 
			 Note: The numbers include projects that were part of a package/programme bid

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the value of the bids to the second round of the Regional Growth Fund in each Government office region which were unsuccessful.

Mark Prisk: Summary information on the bids received in Round 2 and the list of successful bids is published on our website:
	www.bis.gov.uk/rgf
	We will publish information regarding the value of successful bids after they complete due diligence.

Science: Females

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to encourage the participation of women in science and engineering disciplines;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to encourage people to take up careers in science and engineering;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to encourage more women to take up (a) qualifications and (b) careers in physical science disciplines.

David Willetts: holding answer 7 December 2011
	The coalition Government understand the importance of engaging all people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and encouraging more people to consider studying these core disciplines and pursuing careers related to STEM. We have a substantial programme of work in place to achieve this aim.
	The Department has asked the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society to jointly develop a diversity programme for the STEM community. This will build on the academies' existing activities and excellent relationships with a diverse mix of institutions, and place a much greater emphasis on challenging the leaderships at all levels to take on responsibility for delivering the change needed to promote equality across all affected groups, including, but not exclusively focused on, gender.
	The Department's work also includes helping all young people to appreciate how studying STEM disciplines, including engineering, leads to a wide choice of rewarding future career opportunities. Our support includes STEMNET and its cohort of 29,000 STEM ambassadors, National Science and Engineering Week, the Big Bang Fair and the National Science and Engineering Competition. We also run a three-yearly Public Attitudes to Science Survey which in 2011 included evidence about young peoples' attitudes to science.
	In addition, we have worked with industry to launch 'See Inside Manufacturing': a programme of open days across industry, so that we can show young people who have never stepped inside a factory how exciting it can be. The programme has been piloted by the automotive sector this year, with taster events in June aimed at teachers and careers advisers and again in October involving young people as well. This autumn over 40 automotive companies across the UK opened their doors offering over 100 events to teachers, career advisers, parents and young people all showing the exciting and rewarding careers manufacturing offers. It is likely the programme will be rolled out more widely next year.
	The National Apprenticeship Service identifies 27 current apprenticeship frameworks as having a STEM status. Additional STEM apprenticeship frameworks are being developed at advanced and higher levels, which will give apprentices the qualifications they need to meet the standards required to register for professional technician status.
	Overall, women and men are fairly evenly balanced on apprenticeships, although we know that women are under-represented in some traditionally male-dominated sectors. The National Apprenticeship Service is currently funding 16 ‘Apprenticeship Diversity’ pilots over the 12 months to March 2012, designed to test out different methods for improving access to apprenticeships for under-represented sections of society.
	The Department works with the Department for Education to ensure that STEM issues affecting young people of all ages, from school to university, are considered in a coherent way. This includes regular joint meetings of Ministers from this Department and the Department for Education with representatives from the STEM community.
	In addition, BIS's partners, including the national academies and the research councils, deliver a range of educational outreach activities directly aimed at school-aged students.

Science: Higher Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) courses each university offered in the last academic year for which figures are available; and whether his Department has targets in respect of (a) the number of and (b) participation in STEM courses.

David Willetts: holding answer 20 October 2011
	Information on the numbers of UK-domiciled enrolments to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses at each UK higher education institution in the 2009/10 academic year is shown in the following table. Figures for the 2010/11 academic year will become available from January 2012.
	In allocating the teaching grant in future, BIS has asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to focus subsidy for teaching on subjects in Bands A and B, which include STEM subjects, and also on Strategically Important and Vulnerable Subjects (SIVS), which includes STEM subjects.
	HEFCE does not generally have targets in respect of the number of or participation in STEM courses, although targets are set in relation to the numbers of students on undergraduate medical and dental courses and particular conditions of grant apply to some allocations to support provision in strategically important and vulnerable subjects, which includes some STEM subjects.
	
		
			 UK-domiciled enrolments  (1)   to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)  (2)   courses at each UK higher education institution. Academic year 2009/10 
			 Institution Enrolments O  f which  :   STEM 
			 Aberystwyth University 9,155 2,685 
			 Anglia Ruskin University 18,465 10,290 
			 Arts University College at Bournemouth 2,220 70 
			 Aston University 7,590 4,310 
		
	
	
		
			 Bangor University 9,645 4,595 
			 Bath Spa University 8,575 835 
			 Birkbeck College 17,255 4,305 
			 Birmingham City University 22,035 10,700 
			 Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln 2,125 30 
			 Bournemouth University 16,215 6,790 
			 Brunel University 11,950 5,705 
			 Buckinghamshire New University 8,195 3,605 
			 Canterbury Christ Church University 16,675 5,595 
			 Cardiff University 22,525 12,500 
			 Central School of Speech and Drama 695 25 
			 City University 11,880 6,895 
			 Conservatoire for Dance and Drama 890 0 
			 Courtauld Institute of Art 285 15 
			 Coventry University 18,570 9,365 
			 Cranfield University 2,740 1,845 
			 De Montfort University 20,430 8,570 
			 Edge Hill University 24,770 6,440 
			 Edinburgh College of Art 1,270 420 
			 Edinburgh Napier University 10,730 6,435 
			 Glasgow Caledonian University 15,590 9,770 
			 Glasgow School of Art 1,275 370 
			 Glyndwr University 5,120 2,265 
			 Goldsmiths College 6,335 1,065 
			 Guildhall School of Music and Drama 525 0 
			 Harper Adams University College 4,320 4,105 
			 Heriot-Watt University 7,555 3,800 
			 Heythrop College 830 30 
			 Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine 8,855 8,320 
			 Institute of Cancer Research 245 245 
			 Institute of Education 6,030 110 
			 Kings College London 18,690 11,950 
			 Kingston University 22,250 10,480 
			 Leeds College of Music 655 0 
			 Leeds Metropolitan University 25,580 8,970 
			 Leeds Trinity University College 3,490 595 
			 Liverpool Hope University 6,880 1,055 
			 Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts 570 60 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 22,585 11,610 
			 London Business School 535 0 
			 London Metropolitan University 18,120 4,925 
			 London School of Economics and Political Science 3,300 320 
			 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 655 655 
			 London South Bank University 22,225 13,665 
			 Loughborough University 13,010 7,800 
			 Manchester Metropolitan University 32,260 10,860 
			 Middlesex University 17,575 5,700 
			 Newman University College 3,000 680 
			 Norwich University College of the Arts 1,455 0 
			 Nottingham Trent University 23,900 6,740 
			 Open University 209,415 54,050 
			 Oxford Brookes University 15,005 7,085 
			 Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh 4,420 2,960 
			 Queen Mary and Westfield College 11,025 6,400 
		
	
	
		
			 Queens University of Belfast 20,565 10,755 
			 Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication 1,090 125 
			 Robert Gordon University 10,715 5,005 
			 Roehampton University 8,025 2,070 
			 Rose Bruford College 830 20 
			 Royal Academy of Music 435 0 
			 Royal Agricultural College 885 685 
			 Royal College of Art 720 35 
			 Royal College of Music 385 0 
			 Royal Holloway and Bedford New College 6,650 2,220 
			 Royal Northern College of Music 560 0 
			 Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama 640 0 
			 Royal Veterinary College 1,835 1,830 
			 School of Oriental and African Studies 2,990 0 
			 School of Pharmacy 1,145 1,145 
			 Scottish Agricultural College 930 740 
			 Sheffield Hallam University 31,045 13,715 
			 Southampton Solent University 10,475 2,750 
			 St Georges Hospital Medical School 4,890 4,890 
			 St Marys University College 970 0 
			 St Marys University College, Twickenham 4,230 1,090 
			 Staffordshire University 18,775 8,760 
			 Stranmillis University College 1,215 130 
			 Swansea Metropolitan University 5,585 1,565 
			 Swansea University 12,515 5,855 
			 Thames Valley University 13,715 7,045 
			 Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance 670 0 
			 Trinity University College 2,695 75 
			 UHI Millennium Institute(3) 7,280 3,190 
			 University Campus Suffolk 5,250 2,665 
			 University College Birmingham 3,300 745 
			 University College Falmouth 3,025 0 
			 University College London 14,935 9,905 
			 University College Plymouth St Mark and St John 3,900 845 
			 University for the Creative Arts 5,085 155 
			 University of Aberdeen 11,995 5,095 
			 University of Abertay Dundee 3,340 2,425 
			 University of Bath 10,520 6,670 
			 University of Bedfordshire 13,540 6,345 
			 University of Birmingham 24,130 10,640 
			 University of Bolton 8,405 4,395 
			 University of Bradford 10,270 6,345 
			 University of Brighton 18,305 8,420 
			 University of Bristol 16,175 8,430 
			 University of Buckingham 575 55 
			 University of Cambridge 14,955 6,540 
			 University of Central Lancashire 28,630 13,380 
			 University of Chester 14,150 6,410 
			 University of Chichester 5,120 1,050 
			 University of Cumbria 12,150 4,380 
			 University of Derby 15,560 6,525 
			 University of Dundee 13,760 7,945 
			 University of Durham 13,060 5,045 
			 University of East Anglia 13,760 6,565 
			 University of East London 21,465 7,820 
			 University of Edinburgh 19,240 8,990 
			 University of Essex 10,455 3,370 
		
	
	
		
			 University of Exeter 13,615 4,875 
			 University of Glamorgan 17,255 8,900 
			 University of Glasgow 21,905 9,005 
			 University of Gloucestershire 8,760 1,855 
			 University of Greenwich 22,250 10,390 
			 University of Hertfordshire 22,405 10,470 
			 University of Huddersfield 20,450 7,195 
			 University of Hull 19,495 6,130 
			 University of Keele 9,380 4,595 
			 University of Kent 16,010 5,055 
			 University of Lancaster 9,470 2,510 
			 University of Leeds 27,165 12,855 
			 University of Leicester 13,525 5,175 
			 University of Lincoln 11,175 3,855 
			 University of Liverpool 17,330 9,280 
			 University of London (institutes and activities) 275 0 
			 University of Manchester 30,485 17,700 
			 University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne 15,770 8,385 
			 University of Northampton 12,540 4,435 
			 University of Northumbria at Newcastle 26,565 13,175 
			 University of Nottingham 25,850 15,180 
			 University of Oxford 18,250 6,390 
			 University of Plymouth 29,820 13,900 
			 University of Portsmouth 19,020 8,325 
			 University of Reading 11,385 4,260 
			 University of Salford 18,345 9,465 
			 University of Sheffield 20,095 10,110 
			 University of Southampton 18,505 10,285 
			 University of St Andrews 5,465 2,230 
			 University of Stirling 8,955 3,425 
			 University of Strathclyde 18,690 7,165 
			 University of Sunderland 14,580 3,525 
			 University of Surrey 10,760 6,815 
			 University of Sussex 10,265 3,090 
			 University of Teesside 26,255 16,365 
			 University of the Arts, London 10,075 415 
			 University of the West of England, Bristol 29,715 15,910 
			 University of the West of Scotland 16,150 7,335 
			 University of Ulster 22,425 10,215 
			 University of Wales Institute, Cardiff 8,710 3,620 
			 University of Wales, Lampeter 2,125 130 
			 University of Wales, Newport 8,530 1,760 
			 University of Warwick 20,875 7,625 
			 University of Westminster 18,320 6,455 
			 University of Winchester 6,085 595 
			 University of Wolverhampton 19,325 8,385 
			 University of Worcester 8,965 3,525 
			 University of York 12,050 5,680 
			 Writtle College 865 745 
			 York St John University 5,650 1,755 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 2,087,615 874,005 
			 (1) Covers students of all ages enrolled on full-time and part-time postgraduate and undergraduate courses. Figures include all years of study. (2) STEM covers the following subject areas: Medicine and dentistry; Subjects allied to Medicine; Biological sciences; Veterinary Science; Agriculture and related subjects; Physical sciences; Mathematical sciences; Computer science; Engineering and technology; Architecture, building and planning. (3) UHI = University of the Highlands and Islands. Notes: 1. Figures are based on a HESA Standard Registration Population. 2. In this table 0, 1 and 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record

Science: Skilled Workers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what (a) correspondence and (b) evidence he has received from businesses and organisations in the life sciences industry on skills shortages;
	(2)  what progress he has made in tackling the skills gap in the life sciences industry; and what external organisations and individuals he has involved in this work.

David Willetts: holding answer 7 November 2011
	The Department has received a range of correspondence that touches on skills in the life sciences sector. The main evidence we have received in this area was as a result of extensive consultation with stakeholders including business organisations and individual companies for the Growth Review, published in March. This highlighted a number of concerns relating to skills shortages in the sector. We have also recently carried out a major consultation that builds on the earlier Growth Review work, and this has reinforced the messages received in the earlier work.
	Areas where concerns have been raised include practical skills such as laboratory skills, mathematical and analytical skills, commercialisation skills and skills related to specific disciplines. In order to address these issues, the Growth Review sets out two actions on skills. Firstly, Cogent, the sector skills council for the life sciences industry, is to lead on activities to improve market signalling by bringing companies and educators together to ensure educators provide the skilled individuals the sector needs to grow; and secondly support for the Society of Biology as it rolls out its accreditation scheme for biological sciences degrees, which will signal to students which degrees will provide the skills needed for a career in life sciences. The pilot scheme covers biochemistry and in vivo subjects, and is on track to deliver the first accreditations by March 2012. There are plans to expand the number of courses to be accredited in the following year.
	Cogent has since developed an action plan that provides a framework for employers and educators to work together to address the issues identified, supported by a Strategy Board, that sets the strategic direction and a working level Advisory Council. In summary, the plan identifies the following priorities:
	building effective two-way communication between employers, educators and others with an interest in skills;
	tackling specialist skills gaps;
	developing a clear vision of careers for the sector; and
	brokering a laboratory placements scheme for graduates.
	Longer term challenges to be addressed by the action plan include:
	developing professional recognition of vocational qualifications;
	building management and leadership capability;
	delivering vocational pathways to higher education; and
	assessing the future skills demand of the bioeconomy in general.
	In order to take this work forward, Cogent has formed four working groups focusing on placements, technician training, the needs of SMEs and improving demand signalling between employers and educators, and a work programme is currently under way.
	In terms of membership, Cogent's Strategy Board and Advisory Council brings together representatives from industry, trade associations, academia, research organisations and skills providers, while the Society of Biology brings together representatives from academia, research organisations and Government.

Trade Promotion

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which international trade delegations UK Trade and Investment has participated in since May 2010; and how many (a) delegates, (b) representatives of the (i) UK Government and (ii) Welsh Government and (c) representatives of businesses primarily located in Wales attended on each delegation.

Mark Prisk: UKTI does not routinely record this level of information. To attempt to make it available could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	UKTI is committed to working with the devolved Administrations of the UK in an effort to best represent the interests of both the UK and individual UK businesses.
	UKTI organises numerous trade delegations/missions during the course of the year and these are open to companies wherever they are based in the UK.
	Examples of recent delegations that UKTI has played a part in organising include high-profile Cabinet visits to China, Russia, Brazil and sub-Saharan Africa.

HEALTH

Cataracts: Older People

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost of treating elderly patients with cataracts in hospitals in the latest year for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: While the Department does collect the estimated average cost of cataract procedures in hospitals, they are not sufficiently detailed to show the costs of treating older patients with cataracts. However, we have been able to estimate a figure by using data provided by the NHS Information Centre.
	Figures collected from schedule 4 (national health service trusts and primary care trusts combined) of the national schedules of reference costs for the financial year 2009-10 (the most recent year for which data has been published) showed that in total £260 million was recorded as spent on cataract procedures.
	Data provided by the Information Centre shows that 84% of patients who received cataract operations in 2009-10 were aged 65 and over.
	It is therefore estimated that £220 million was spent on cataract surgery for those aged 65 and over during 2009-10. This is based on the assumption that every patient incurs the same unit costs regardless of age.

Cataracts: Waiting Lists

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for cataract treatment in each region in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The provisional 2010-11 mean and median waiting times for cataract treatment in each strategic health authority (SHA) are provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Mean and median waiting time  (1)   and count of finished admission episodes (FAEs)  (2)   for cataract treatment  (3)   within each SHA of commissioner  (4)  ; 2010-11 
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 SHA of commissioner Total episodes in each SHA of commissioner Mean waiting time (days) Median waiting time (days) 
			 Total 338,581 64 57 
			 North East Strategic Health Authority 21,106 58 56 
			 North West Strategic Health Authority 45,801 68 63 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority 35,142 56 48 
			 East Midlands Strategic Health Authority 29,575 59 56 
			 West Midlands Strategic Health Authority 33,407 69 63 
			 East of England Strategic Health Authority 35,263 60 52 
			 London Strategic Health Authority 43,512 58 50 
			 South East Coast Strategic Health Authority 28,738 71 64 
			 South Central Strategic Health Authority 22,621 72 66 
			 South West Strategic Health Authority 38,480 74 67 
			 Foreign (including. other British Isles, Isle of Man and Channel Islands) 863 n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			 Unknown 4,073 34 21 
			 (1) Time waited (days) statistics from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are not the same as published Referral to Treatment (RTT) time waited statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients between decision to admit and admission to hospital within a given period. Published RTT waiting statistics measure the time waited between referral and start of treatment. (2) A finished admission, episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (3) Main procedure—contains four cataract treatments. The first recorded procedure or intervention in each episode, usually the most resource intensive procedure or intervention performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main procedure when looking at admission details, (eg time waited), but a more complete count of episodes with a particular procedure is obtained by looking at the main and the secondary procedures. The following combination of ICD-10 and OPCS-4 codes were specified to identify cataract treatment ICD-10 codes H25.—Senile cataract H26.—Other cataract Q12.0—Congenital cataract H28.0A—Diabetic cataract* H28.1A—Cataract in other endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases* H28.2A—Cataract in other diseases classified elsewhere* It should be noted that the three asterisk (*) (A) codes listed above should never appear in the primary diagnostic position. OPCS 4 codes: C71.—Extracapsular extraction of lens C72.—Intracapsular extraction of lens C73.—Incision of capsule of lens C74.—Other extraction of lens C75.—Prosthesis of lens (4) SHA of commissioner. This field contains a code which identifies the SHA in which the commissioner is located. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Departmental Manpower

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent staff work on the (a) infectious diseases: human, (b) mass casualties and (c) health services of the Capabilities Programme; and what the staffing level was in each of the last 10 quarters.

Simon Burns: The Department's responsibilities for the infectious diseases workstream of the Capabilities Programme are managed as part of embedded overall infectious diseases policy work, and there are no full-time equivalent (FTE) staff allocated specifically to the workstream.
	Since May 2011, the Department's responsibilities under the mass casualties and health services workstreams of the UK Capabilities Programme have been overseen jointly by 3.0 FTEs within the Department's policy branch and 3.0 FTEs covering national health service operational issues. However, these staff do not work exclusively on the Capabilities Programme, and have responsibilities for a broad range of other issues of civil resilience, emergency preparedness and counter-terrorism. It is not possible to identify the exact proportion of time spent on the Capabilities Programme by these staff.
	Prior to May 2011, staffing numbers at the start of each quarter are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 Q4 2010-11 5.0 
			 Q3 2010-11 5.0 
			 Q2 2010-11 5.0 
			 Q1 2010-11 5.0 
			   
			 Q4 2009-10 5.0 
			 Q3 2009-10 5.0 
			 Q2 2009-10 4.0 
			 Q1 2009-10 4.0

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by his Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010;
	(2)  how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by his Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.

Simon Burns: The number of parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day answered on time or late are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Questions answered on time Questions answered late and by number of working days 
			 June 2010 66 3 answered 1 day late 
			   1 answered 17 days late 
			   1 answered 3 days late 
			 July 2010 129 1 answered 6 days late 
			 September 2010 61 1 answered 1 day late 
			   1 answered 5 days late 
			 October 2010 63 0 
		
	
	
		
			 November 2010 153 0 
			 December 2010 80 0 
			 January 2011 100 0 
			 February 2011 111 0 
			 March 2011 119 0 
			 April 2011 60 0 
			 May 2011 94 1 answered 2 days late 
			 June 2011 161 0 
			 July 2011 120 0 
			 September 2011 61 0 
			 October 2011 121 0 
			 Note: No written questions for answer on a named day were received in May 2010 or August 2010 and 2011. 
		
	
	No parliamentary questions have remained unanswered for two months since May 2010.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009/10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether draft answers to parliamentary questions prepared by officials in his Department are cleared by special advisers (a) before and (b) after the relevant Minister.

Simon Burns: Special advisers do not routinely see draft answers to parliamentary questions but may do so; for example, if Ministers request it. All parliamentary question answers are the responsibility of the Minister who replies, and the clearance processes reflect this.

Departmental Written Questions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of questions for written answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the 2010-12 session of Parliament to date.

Simon Burns: As of 7 November 2011, the Department has received 1,532 questions for written answer on a named day in the current session. Of those, 1,523 or 99.4% were answered on the due date.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Dialysis Machines

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he made of the average cost of (a) dialysis away from base and (b) dialysis carried out in a patient's normal unit when calculating the national tariff for dialysis.

Simon Burns: The national tariffs for dialysis are underpinned by the costs reported by national health service providers as part of the annual reference costs exercise.
	The information collected through reference costs does not differentiate between dialysis away from base and that carried out in a patient's normal unit. The data will contain the costs of independent units where that activity has been sub-contracted by NHS providers.
	However, we are aware that there are additional costs associated with providing, dialysis away from base. Therefore, we propose to introduce a flexibility in 2012-13 that would allow commissioners to pay above the national tariff to providers who see significantly high proportions, for example 80% to 90% of dialysis away from base patients.
	Reference costs show that the national average unit costs for renal dialysis were £119 in 2008-09 and £128 in 2009-10.

Dialysis Machines

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the level of provision of dialysis away from base.

Simon Burns: We have made no such assessment, but welcome the survey currently being undertaken by the Kidney Alliance which includes questions about this issue. We understand that the Kidney Alliance intend to publish the results of their survey in due course.

Health: Cabinet Committees

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Public Health to meet for the first time; how often he expects it to meet; how it will operate in relation to Public Health England; and if he will publish its responsibilities.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply.
	The membership and terms of reference for the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Public Health can be found on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-committees-system-and-list-cabinet-committees
	It is longstanding Government practice not to disclose information relating to ministerial meetings, including the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees, as to do so would put at risk the public interest in the full and frank discussion of policy by Ministers.

Hydration: Hospitals

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what information his Department holds on the cost to the NHS of treating conditions that result from lack of hydration in hospitals in each year since 2001;
	(2)  what guidelines his Department issues on training for nurses on effective hydration for patients in hospital.

Paul Burstow: The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) sets the standards for pre-registration nurse education. Student nurses undertaking pre-registration nursing programmes will learn about hydration, including the assessment and monitoring of hydration status. The NMC has developed guidance on nutrition and fluid management within the essential skills clusters. This guidance is applicable to all fields of nursing and should be used by those providing pre-registration education.
	The NMC essential skills clusters are available at:
	http://standards.nmc-uk.org/Documents/Annexe3_%20 ESCs_16092010.pdf
	All providers of regulated activities, including hospitals and care homes, are required by law to have policies in place that protect people from the risks of dehydration. The Care Quality Commission can take action if these requirements are not being met.
	There are a number of best practice resources and guidelines available to help providers develop their own policies. These include the Hydration Toolkit and Essence of Care which outlines quality provision of the fundamentals of care, including ‘Food and drink’. The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement provides good practice examples and toolkits to help prevent prevention. The NHS Institute's website is available at:
	www.institute.nhs.uk
	Information about the cost of treating conditions that result from lack of hydration in hospitals is not collected centrally.

Hydration: Hospitals

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of patients who have been treated for dehydration in hospitals in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: In 2010-11 there were 196,897 finished consultant episodes where a primary or secondary diagnosis of dehydration was recorded.

Incontinence: Health Services

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many local arrangements outside the Drug Tariff for the supply of urology and stoma products are in place in England;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) clinical outcomes and (b) overall health care costs of patient choice in urology and stoma care.

Simon Burns: As these are local arrangements, this information is not collected or held centrally.
	While the aims of the new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for provision of stoma, urology and other appliances introduced in April 2010 included maintaining and where applicable improving the current quality of care to patients and maintaining local choice in the provision of services, no specific assessment of the effect on clinical outcomes and overall health care costs of patient choice in urology and stoma care has been carried out.

Locums

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant the answer of 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 452W, on general practitioners, what his policy is on the rights of (a) patients and (b) members of the public to know the place of work of a locum GP working for the NHS.

Simon Burns: Locums are engaged to work within general practice as and when they are needed in order to cover the work of other clinicians who are away from their practice. Therefore, the place of work of locums can and does change frequently depending on who has contracted for their services.

Medical Equipment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises to develop innovative medical devices.

Simon Burns: The Department is very aware of the importance of new and innovative medical technologies and the role they can play in delivering the reforms. This is why we already have a number of initiatives in place to improve the relationship with the technology industry and the speed at which technologies are adopted by the national health service. As such, key initiatives will continue to support SMEs so that they can participate fully in the development and manufacture of new technologies.
	The Department is committing £10 million to the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) over the next two years. SBRI uses the power of Government procurement to bring innovative solutions to specific public sector needs. It aims to drive innovation by supporting technology based businesses, especially early-stage companies, through the stages of feasibility and prototyping which are typically hard to fund. A broad range of companies are engaged, through open competitions, for ideas that address specific challenges. Selected applicants are then awarded contracts to develop their technology.
	The Department is committed to continuing the NHS Life Sciences Innovation Delivery Board, which was set up to look at ways in which the relationship between the life sciences industries and the NHS can be improved and support rapid adoption of innovative technologies. The Department is also keen for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to continue its role in evaluating medical technologies through the Evaluation Pathway Programme and the Medical Technologies Advisory Committee.
	In addition, the Department's Innovative Technology Adoption Procurement Programme is providing a pathway for existing medical technologies to be considered by senior executives in the NHS.
	Furthermore, the National Institute for Health Research Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme supports the development of innovative medical technologies that address existing or emerging health care needs in the NHS. i4i supports collaborative research and development involving at least two partners from industry, academia or the NHS. Small and/or early-stage companies are particularly welcome as applicants. Funding for the programme has increased from £4 million in 2006-07 to £13 million in 2011-12.
	In summary, we are now exploring how the NHS can build processes and structures to support adoption at scale and pace at both a national and local level. As announced in the Plan for Growth, the NHS Chief Executive will report in November, on how the adoption and diffusion of innovations can be accelerated across the NHS.

Medical Equipment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of barriers to product innovation for manufacturers in the health sector.

Simon Burns: Innovation is crucial to delivering a first-class health service, in terms of improving the quality of patient care and its contribution to economic growth. The national health service has an impressive track record of inventions and new ideas, but the adoption and spread of these ideas has been variable. That is why it is important that innovation is supported and encouraged, and why a series of initiatives to help encourage and foster innovation, and particularly the spread of innovation, have been implemented in the NHS.
	As part of the ‘Growth Review’ which was released earlier this year, the Department is committing £10 million to the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) over the next two years. SBRI uses the power of Government procurement to bring innovative solutions to specific public sector needs. It aims to drive innovation by supporting technology based businesses, especially early-stage companies, through the stages of feasibility and prototyping which are typically hard to fund. A broad range of companies are engaged, through open competitions, for ideas that address specific challenges. Selected applicants are then awarded contracts to develop their technology.
	In addition, the Department's Innovative Technology Adoption Procurement Programme is providing a pathway for existing medical technologies to be considered by senior executives in the NHS.
	Furthermore, the Government's modernisation agenda will encourage the NHS to be more agile, more dynamic and more open to ideas. We are now exploring how the NHS can build processes and structures to support adoption at scale and pace at both a national and local level. As announced in the Plan for Growth, the NHS chief executive will report in November, on how the adoption and diffusion of innovations can be accelerated across the NHS.

Medicine: Higher Education

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish (a) the total number of admissions to medical and dental schools and (b) the ethnic origin by (i) number and (ii) proportion of the total in each of the last 10 years.

Simon Burns: Information on the total intake of medical and dental students over the last 10 years is contained in tables which have been placed in the Library. Information on ethnicity is not held by the Department.

NHS

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS South of England or its successor organisation will be a permanent regional tier within the NHS Commissioning Board from 2013.

Simon Burns: Strategic health authority (SHA) clusters will be abolished as the NHS Commissioning Board takes on its full functions.
	Sir David Nicholson, chief executive of the NHS Commissioning Board Authority, has announced that the initial sub-national arrangements of the NHS Commissioning Board will mirror the geographical footprint of the SHA clusters (such as NHS South of England).

NHS

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the statutory basis is for the constitution of NHS South of England.

Simon Burns: The constitution for NHS South of England is in line with the three existing statutory strategic health authorities, NHS South West, NHS South East Coast and NHS South Central, and their constitutions remain unchanged. The cluster now has a single board, and an integrated management structure. The board comprises members of the three statutory bodies.

NHS: Information and Communications Technology

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Lorenzo computer system;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the future of the Lorenzo computer system.

Simon Burns: Versions of the Lorenzo computer system are presently used in various national health service trusts and performance is continuously monitored against the service targets set out in the contract with Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) who are the local service provider. The Department is presently working closely with CSC on future delivery options for the Lorenzo computer system.
	In doing so the Department has taken into account the recent National Audit Office findings, the Public Accounts Committee observations and the Major Project Authority's conclusions on delivery of the National Programme for IT.

NHS: Pay

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the salaries are of the executive team and non-executive board members of NHS South of England.

Simon Burns: The chief executive of the NHS South of England is paid £204,048 annually. NHS South of England is a strategic health authority (SHA) cluster and its pay arrangements are governed by the Very Senior Manager (VSM) Pay Framework. Pay in each SHA cluster is determined according to organisation weighting (resident population weighted for age and deprivation) with an additional premium due to their complexity. The basic pay of each of the executive directors under the VSM Pay Framework is based on a percentage of the chief executive's salary, depending on the nature of the role. These salaries have not yet been agreed.
	The information requested on non-executive board members of NHS South of England is not held centrally. Such information is available from the Appointments Commission and is given as follows:
	The Chair of NHS South of England is paid remuneration of £63,049, the audit committee Chair is paid £13,136 and the five non-executive directors are each paid £7,882. Of the two Vice Chairs, one is paid £46,131 and the other £48,233 (the rates of remuneration they were on as SHA chairs before clustering). All are annual figures.

Obesity

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which (a) organisations and (b) individuals advise his Department on matters relating to (i) obesity and (ii) alcohol.

Anne Milton: The Government sets policy on obesity and alcohol. We receive advice from experts and also views from a number of individuals and work with a wide range of partners including the NHS service providers, academia, the third sector and business.

Palliative Care

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 458W, on palliative care, if he will make it his policy to create a mechanism for NHS doctors to anonymously record instances of the removal of life-sustaining treatments; and if he will publish an annual analysis of the data arising from such a mechanism.

Paul Burstow: Guidance for doctors on end of life care decisions, including decisions around the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, has been published by the General Medical Council (‘Treatment and care towards the end of life: good practice in decision making (2010)’). Clinical governance and audit processes are already in place within the NHS to ensure that care provision conforms to professional standards such as that set out by the General Medical Council, as are mechanisms to allow staff to identify and report concerns about particular instances of care.

Prescription Drugs: Prices

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the Drug Tariff on the (a) development, (b) adoption and (c) diffusion of innovative products in the NHS;
	(2)  whether an assessment was made of the Drug Tariff under his Department's innovation review.

Simon Burns: The Department has not made any such assessment. The NHS Chief Executive's review of innovation in the national health service has not made an assessment of the Drug Tariff, nor has it featured in responses to the review's Call for Evidence or subsequent discussions with stakeholders.
	The Drug Tariff sets out what pharmacy and appliance contractors will be paid for provision of Pharmaceutical Services. It comprises 21 different parts, ranging from listings of pharmaceutical products, medical devices and appliances, and borderline substances which have the characteristics of drugs.
	There are different processes for assessing the suitability of each of these types of product to be prescribed under General Medical Services Contracts Regulations. Across the application processes, the Department is keen to ensure there are no barriers to the introduction of innovative products in the NHS, providing they are safe and of good quality, suitable to prescribe in primary care and cost effective. There should be no barriers to prescribing a drug on the NHS unless it is listed in Parts XVIIIA or B of the Drug Tariff. Part XVIII is a replication of the list of products which are statutorily restricted from NHS prescription under the General Medical Services Contracts Regulations. Manufacturers seeking inclusion of an appliance to be prescribed on the NHS are given clear guidance on the application process in Drug Tariff Part IX Guidance to Manufacturers and Suppliers of Medical Devices which is available on NHS Prescription Services' website at:
	www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/PrescriptionServices/3399.aspx
	The guidance details how NHS Prescription Services considers applications of innovative products.

Primary Care Trusts

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that the determination of future funding needs for the public health system will not be based on the historic public health spending of primary care trusts.

Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my the Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Guildford (Anne Milton), on 21 October 2011, Official Report, column 1187W, which set out the process for determining the overall budget for the new public health system in England.
	I have asked the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) to develop a formula for the allocation of the ring-fenced public health grant to local authorities (LAs). ACRA's recommendation will be published later in the year.

Radiotherapy

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure NHS trusts have a renewal programme for radiotherapy machines.

Paul Burstow: Decisions regarding renewal of radiotherapy machines are taken locally and need to be assessed against local priorities. It is the responsibility of each individual organisation to ensure that it adopts good asset management and financial planning. However, national teams such as the National Cancer Action Team and NHS Improvement provide support to help providers plan for their equipment needs.
	Within the Cancer Peer Review programme, the radiotherapy measures require local organisations to agree an equipment replacement programme with their cancer network. The outcome of the Peer Review programme is shared with commissioners.

Radiotherapy

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure the availability of an adequate number of trained radiotherapists.

Simon Burns: The Department commissioned the Centre for Workforce Intelligence (CfWI) to identify future risks and opportunities for the health and social care work force and set the strategic context that will inform work force planning. This report, entitled ‘Allied Health Professionals Workforce Risks and Opportunities’, was published in June 2011 and a copy has been placed in the Library.
	The CfWI has also been commissioned by the Department to undertake a piece of work to examine the future demand of non-medical staff and to develop supply strategies to meet this demand. The CfWI will publish its report on the non-medical work force in two stages, the first in December 2011 (which will include radiography) and the second in March 2012. This report will support and inform strategic health authority education commissioning, enabling the Department and strategic health authorities to understand non-medical demand and supply in greater depth, and thereby improve their work force planning strategies.

Surgery: Manpower

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vascular surgeons are employed by (a) the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and (b) Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally.

Surgery: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Warrington required arterial surgery in the last five years for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally.